It's never easy
by Evilkat23
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple trip to America to grab an inheritance. Things turn awry when Ivan and Ben get separated from Firedrake, Sorrel, and Issiah. Now, follow the two parties along as they try and find their missing members amongst the vast lands of America before something horrible happens. Things get interesting for Ben and Ivan when feelings start to emerge as well.
1. Chapter 1

_Ivan grunted loudly as his father's lackeys managed to tie the last strap to the straight jacket down on him. Growling, Ivan struggled and thrashed around but to no avail as the strap that was tied and hooked to the pole behind him refused to give away. His lower lip bleeding._

 _"You could have avoided this, you know?" Came Joshua's voice. Joshua being Ivan's twin brother, the two looked identical down to the last freckle. The one thing that separated them for the longest time was Ivan's blue hair, but now, it seemed that Josh had copied that as well. Though, Josh's hair was more bright and new looking than Ivan's fizzy faded blue. "You had one job, and you would have gotten Issiah back. Just one job, and you couldn't even do that," Josh tsked his tongue bitterly at his brother. Ivan spat out some blood on the floor in front of his brother's feet._

 _"You wouldn't understand!" Ivan spat once more and in an instant, Josh raised his hand and slapped Ivan as hard as he could across the face._

 _"Weak! That's all you've ever be! And now it's up to me to clean up your mess. Like always!" Josh snapped as he then felt the need to slap Ivan on the other cheek with just as much velocity as the last slap, this one caused Ivan to yelp out in pain and shock as he tasted copper in his mouth once more. "That dragon of yours could have been saved-"_

 _"Oh, bull-fucking-shit!" Ivan snarled out before his twin got a chance to finish his sentence. "Do you really think I'm that dumb? You never had any plans to return Issiah to me."_

 _"That doesn't matter now, does it? No. Your little 'romp' with Benjamin is pretty much over, and your defiance will end here today."_

 _Ivan gritted his teeth angrily at his brother as he felt his blood boil under his skin. "You won't do anything. They'll see through you in a minute."_

 _Josh only turned and smirked at Ivan. "I don't think so. Not with what that vampire is going to be facing here shortly. I'll be sure to show you the pictures later." With that, his brother turned ready to walk out._

 _"Josh! Wait!" Ivan screamed out as he struggled against the straightjacket keeping him in place. "Josh!"_

 _His brother turned around millions upon millions of spiders poured out of his mouth as he just stared menacingly at Ivan-_

Ivan let out a cry as he literally rolled off of the couch he was sleeping on. Landing face first on the ground, Ivan pushed himself up and groaned out. Entangled in his blanket he started to unravel himself. Thankful that nobody- Looking over at the Greenbloom's breakfast table Ivan felt his shoulders slump as he looked at the whole Greenbloom family. The moment he looked at them, they instantly went back to eating their breakfast or doing their daily tasks. Ivan only sighed out weakly as he silently placed the blanket back on the back of the couch making sure it looked all nice and neat. Walking over to the table Ivan sat next to Ben as normal. Ben smiled at him and instantly started to pour Ivan some hot water for tea. About a year ago Ivan would have declined on any type of tea for breakfast. Being American and all. However, living with the Greenblooms the Earl Grey tea tends to grow on a person.

Yes, Ivan was an American. Well, technically he was Columbian. Being half Columbian and Half American that is, he was born and raised in Columbia till he was seven, then he moved to America. Things just really get muddled from there. His father made him and his twin Josh move halfway across the damn world to the UK. In an act of defiance towards his father, Ivan ran off and met Issiah, a brilliant blue dragon in Scotland. Him and Issiah traveled all over the UK. That was until his father and twin finally caught them and took Issiah from him, Ivan managed to get away. That was when Zenith, a henchman that once worked for his father who went missing for a good while, contacted him about Benjamin. From there...

Ivan looked at Ben and smiled. Ben smiled back as him as he finished pour the hot water for Ivan. Ivan silently picked up a tea bag and started to let it seep in the hot water. While waiting for it to seep, Ivan looked over at Jackson sitting on a stack of phone books. Jackson being the youngest Greenbloom of almost four years old. The little tyke took a handful of food and threw it at Ivan causing Ivan to tsk out in bitterness. The kid may have a sweet innocent face, but he was really the devil in disguise. Ivan cringed as another handful of food got thrown in his lap.

"Jackson, dear, don't throw food," Vita intervened finally, Jackson didn't need any more coaxing as he now started to eat. Ivan only sighed out with a headshake. Silently he and Ben started to eat. In all honesty, Ivan wasn't really all that hungry for just waking up. In fact ever since he's gotten out from jail, his appetite has taken a downfall. Looking over at Ben's plate, Ivan frowned at the just the two pieces of toast that were the only thing to sit on Ben's plate. It was clear that it wasn't just him affected. It was also clear that the others took notice as Guinevere suddenly grabbed the eggs and started to pile some on Ben's plate and even pile some of Ivan's plate. Just really out of respect they both slowly ate. Both of them had their reasons for their loss of appetite.

For Ben, it was more than likely because of his missing limb. Almost a year ago Ben lost his arm protecting Ivan from deadly dragon fire, Ivan honestly felt horrible about it. Every day when he sees Ben just a pang of guilt feels the need to whack Ivan as hard as it can in the chest. Ben has a plastic arm he puts in place of his missing limb, it does the job well at hiding from most people at a distance, however; once close enough anyone with functioning eyes can see that it's plastic. That and Ivan was sure Ben's job was also a cause. Ben works at some high-end tourist fast food job, and his feelings for that job are clear he hates it.

Ivan's reason for not really being hungry as before wasn't as clear to him. Most days he'd just sit there and really push his food around the plate rather than eat it. Sometimes he'd take a few bites, however, if Ben was actually there for dinner, then Ivan would actually eat. The funny thing, it seemed like it was the same thing for Ben, If they were together then they'd actually finish what was on their plate, but if they were alone it seemed like they just couldn't bring themselves to eat at all. Still, since they were sitting next to one another, they both slowly started to eat.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Barnabas asked everyone as he continued to read his newspaper.

"I have school at 1 pm all the way until 6 pm today," Guinevere piped up first.

"Work from 9 am to 9 pm. 12-hour shifts are always fun," Ben sarcastically quipped more towards Ivan who just chuckled.

"I got to get Jackson to daycare and get to the office," Vita answered as she quickly wiped the three-year old's face with a wet napkin. Jackson struggled against it and whined until Vita finished.

"I was called in about a potential expedition in the next few weeks," Barnabas concluded, Ivan felt almost all eyes on him. Truthfully he felt bad about not having a job yet, however with now having no choice but to be his deceased twin brother...

"I'll probably wonder around town asking shopkeepers for applications again," Ivan guessed with a shrug. His appetite now vanished once more he put the fork down. Don't get the wrong idea here, he was pretty grateful towards the Greenblooms for allowing him to crash on their couch after he got out of jail. They didn't have to do that they could have just turned him away, still, something told Ivan that Ben probably had something to do with him staying with them until he got back on his feet.

"Can I go with you?" Twigleg questioned from the table top. Ivan just smiled at Twigleg, Twigleg felt Ivan's pain of being left behind while the others all had work and school to go to. "Sure." Ivan allowed Twigleg to scramble up his arm. Twigleg rested on Ivan's shoulder while both Ivan and Ben stood up and put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

"Wait." Ben suddenly demanded as Ivan started to walk back towards the kitchen. Ben grasped Ivan's wrist and pulled him back so they were face to face. Ben suddenly started to mess around with Ivan's hair. "Can't have you trying to find a job while looking like a peasant now, can we?" Ben smiled at Ivan as he made sure Ivan's ginger hair was rightfully in place. Once done, Ben had his one hand cupping Ivan's cheek and smiled warmly at him. Ivan smiled back and they stayed like that for a few heartbeats until they heard Twiglegs sudden, "Ahem!"

"Oh, I better get to work!" Ben blushed as he let go of Ivan's cheek in a hurry. Ivan pouted and glared down at Twigleg before watching as Ben turned and started to get his work shoes on. "I'll see you tonight Ivan."

"Yeah, bye." Ivan broke away from glaring at Twigleg. Ben, who was clearly in a hurry, suddenly kissed Ivan on the cheek as he turned and rushed out of the kitchen. Ivan felt every bit of heat from his body migrate up towards his face.

"Wow, I didn't think it was possible for humans to turn that red," Twigleg observed as he stood on Ivan's shoulder and lightly poked Ivan's cheek.

"...He just..." Ivan cupped his cheeks in both of his hands and let out a soft noise, that sounded like a high pitched squeak, as he grinned ear to ear.

"It was just an accident, you know, he was in a hurry," Twigleg was quick to point out to Ivan who instantly felt his happiness slowly deplete.

"Why you gotta ruin it for me?" Ivan questioned the tiny manikin,

"Why can't you speak proper English?"

"Touché."

Ivan could only sigh as he walked off towards the bathroom, putting Twigleg down outside the door, Ivan shuffled through his duffle bag full of clothes and quickly noticed a few things. His clothes were neatly folded and clearly cleaned, he knew he hadn't touched them at all the day before. Seeing a piece of paper sticking out of the side, Ivan pulled it out and noticed the rather sloppy, but improving, handwriting of Ben's.

 _I cleaned your clothes._

 _-Ben_

 _Please see me about learning how to use the washer and dryer, so my son doesn't have to do your laundry._

 _-Vita_

Ivan couldn't stop the laugh that left his mouth. It was clear that Vita had written the last part by the girly loopy handwriting. They really were too good for him at times it truly felt like it. Ivan smiled softly as he changed into, now, clean clothing. Slowly brushing his hair making sure to get all the knots out he frowned and tugged at the bottom of his hair. It was starting to get rather long. Just reaching past his chin, maybe he could scrounge up a few bucks to get a well-needed haircut. He paused as he suddenly looked at the end of the lock-in between his fingers. His red hair had come back full swing now, he no longer had his beloved blue hair. The jail he was in for all those months made sure that they _thoroughly_ got rid of his blue hair. Still, at the very tip, Ivan saw it, blue, just a small bit of blue. He swallowed hard as he shakily dropped the lock of hair. A hair cut. He needed a hair cut. Besides, unlike Atticus and Zenith, Ivan could pull off a ponytail.

Atticus and Zenith. They were friends of his as well. Well, Atticus was more Ben's friend whereas Zenith was Ivan's. They were both wild cards that's for sure. Atticus being the crazier of the two, with him being a Half-blooded vampire and being almost a thousand years old. Atticus was there to know the _real_ Zenith. That being said, it's true that the Zenith that currently lives with Atticus isn't the real one but a clone of the real one. It was all one long story that involved a witch being really pissed off at Atticus.

"Are you alright in there?" Hearing Twigleg's voice on the other side of the door snapped Ivan out of his thoughts. Shaking his head Ivan walked out of the restroom turning the light off as he did so.

"Yep, never better. Let's get going," Ivan picked Twigleg up and the two of them headed off as soon as Ivan grabbed his wallet off of the side table by the front door. Shutting the door behind him, Ivan felt the cool UK weather hit him full force. The sun blocked by the daily morning overcast leaving a pleasant smell of ozone and rain all around him. The chilly air made him frown. A part of him did wish he had a jacket, but it was too late now. He was already outside. Taking a step down, Ivan started to walk down the sidewalk. While trying not to look crazy he struck up a conversation with Twigleg. "Alright, I need a job, so, where should we look first?"

"Someplace that takes criminals?" Twigleg suggested and Ivan just pursed his lips to the side bitterly.

"And just who would that be? I already tried the place where Ben works, they said no...and they hired Ben," Twigleg only shrugged in response to Ivan. Ivan just sighed stopped walking, looking up at his options he only gave a bitter sigh once more. "I guess we could try the petrol station I haven't tried there yet and I'm of age," Ivan spoke allowed as he started off towards the station.

"I guess, if you don't mind messing with drunks at night," Twigleg showed his disgust of the place as he scrunched his face up.

"Please. I think I can handle a few drunks," Ivan smiled softly as he gently waved Twigleg's previous statement off. Twigleg hid in Ivan's pocket. as he got to the petrol station, Ivan waltzed in and allowed the air conditioning to cool him off as he walked up to the empty counter. Leaning down on the counter he watched as a cute black woman came up towards him and waited patiently as he stood up more fully and coughed. "I was wondering if I could have an application."

"Sorry, you have to do that online now." The woman calmly told him.

"Urg. You are the fifth person to tell me that, you know," Ivan groaned out.

She only shrugged in response to him. "Sorry. Times are changing, Sugar, you should know that,"

"Yeah, I got that. Thanks for your time," Ivan sighed as he started to back away from the counter he failed to see the small stand of brochures next to the counter and accidentally kicked it down with his foot. Jumping in shock, Ivan turned and quickly started to pick up the mess he made. "Shit. Sorry!" He quickly apologized. Picking up the stand he placed it back in its spot as the woman came from behind the counter and helped him pick up the brochures. The two of them started shoving the paper back in place, he only paused at one odd one on the floor. Picking it up he looked at it.

It was a brochure for America, the front page was overlooking the evening in New York city, the statue of liberty just off in the distance. Opening the front page big black text was first to greet him,

 **VISITING AMERICA?**

It then listed all the major landmarks and sites that a tourist must-see while visiting the nation. Of course, each page had a picture of one of those major places and where to find them. He paused when he got to Illinois. Illinois was where he was raised before they moved. More specifically Peoria.

"Oh? I thought we got rid of all of those-" The woman made a reach for the brochure in Ivan's hands, but he pulled back suddenly.

"S-Sorry..." He mumbled sadly as he just caressed a page between his thumb and forefinger. America, god did he miss it sometimes.

"Interested in going back to America are ya?" She asked him and he just frowned even deeper. "I just.. miss it I guess," Ivan found himself admitting rather sadly to the stranger as he continued to stare at the brochure.

"Well, it's none of my business, but, if I may ask, what's stopping you from going back?" She softly asked him some concern in her voice enough to make Ivan look at her before frowning.

"Truthfully. I don't know," Ivan mumbled as he truly thought of it. Suddenly with no warning, the woman grabbed a pen and started to write on Ivan's right arm. "Uh, Ma'am-" Ivan tried to but she cut him off before he could finish. Looking down at his arm he saw a phone number, and in cursive writing below the number taking up almost his entire forearm was the name-

 **Cynthia**

"Cynthia?" Ivan asked aloud as he looked at the woman, then his eyes drifted over to her name tag and instantly he blushed, "-Oh, uh, Ma'am-" He tried, once again, but, like before, he was cut off not by her but by her boss."Cynthia! We're out of coffee!"

"Ok, I'm on it! ... give me a call later, sweetie, I'm sure I might be able to help you feel better," She added with a wink, "Keep the brochure if you'd like," With that Cynthia walked away leaving a blushing Ivan standing there staring blankly at his arm. Finally, stiffly he walked out the door as fast as he could, still staring at his arm the whole way.

The moment it was safe Twigleg poked his head up, "Well that was unexpected."

"You're telling me," Ivan chuckled as he gently ran his thumb over the markings on his arm and watched as the ink smudged against his skin. With an interested sigh, he just shook his head. "Alright, lets hit up some more places and call it a day, Twiggy," Ivan decided as he folded the brochure a couple of times and put it away in his back pocket.

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

Ivan waltzed into the Greenbloom household, two new job applications in his hands. It was becoming harder and harder to find paper applications mostly everything was online these days. Still, he shut the door with confidence only to pause to see Ben sitting at the dinning table, not in his work clothes, reading the same newspaper that Barnabas was just reading earlier that day his eyes lighting scanning the paper before he noticed Ivan. Ivan looked at the clock then at Twigleg.

"Ok, either they let you go home ten hours earlier than expected, or something happened," Ivan tentatively started as he took smaller steps towards his friend. Ben only responded with a weak sigh as he folded the paper and placed it down on the table.

"If you wish to know. I was fired today." Ben responded rather sadly as he pursed his lips in slight anger.

"What?!" Both Ivan and Twigleg demanded surprised by the news.

"Joy told me that my services are no longer needed for this company'. Then because she's a horrid woman proceeded to tell me that it pretty much because I was- 'too slow for a fast food place and they need well-abled people to help keep up with the touristy' Basically telling me that my handicap was the reason for my firing." Ben only sighed out as he shook his head. "I really don't want to talk about it anymore," Ben told them a bit of a bite in his voice clearly warning the two of them to not press any further. Twigleg looked like he was about to press, but Ivan silences him and then walked up to the table sitting across from Ben. His friend was now sadly caressing the edge of the newspaper between his thumb and forefinger as Ivan realized Ben was looking through the classifieds for a new job. Ivan frowned as he watched Ben silently read. His brow was furrowed as he had a pained look on his face as he continued to focus on the paper. "All of these are for higher positions." Ben half growled as he shut the newspaper angrily. Ben then sucked in a deep breath and tried to force himself to calm down. Ben without a smile just didn't mix well.

A part of Ivan just wanted to hug Ben, but he knew Ben well enough to know that it's going to take more than a hug to make Ben feel better in times like these. Looking at Ben's face, Ivan suddenly got an idea and jumped from his seat. Not before giving Twigleg to Ben in a rushed manner. "Stay here." Ivan ordered as he then rushed off towards the Professor's study. He knew the professor will probably kill him for going in there, but he knew just what it took to make Ben smile right now. Grabbing the laptop, Ivan rushed back into the dinning room.

"Ivan, that's my dad's laptop-"

"Shhhhhh, just let me help," Ivan whispered to him as he put his index finger up silencing Ben. With the laptop on one arm, Ivan started to type in the site that he's been spending a lot of time on recently.

YouTube.

Typing in the song he wanted he placed the laptop on the table and suddenly started to dance to the beat causing Ben to only raise an eyebrow at him.

Then came the chorus.

"Come on Ben! You know this song!" Ivan cried as he jumped up and clapped simultaneously. _"I'm kinda buzzed and it's all because!"_ Ivan sung along waiting for Ben to start and sing along. Ben's lips stayed pursed as he just watched Ivan dance along to the music. However; as he danced like a dork, Ivan could see a smile slowly creeping up on Ben's face. " _South Central does it like nobody does!_ BEN COME ON! YOU KNOW THE WORDS!" Ivan practically screamed as he was now doing the Carlton dance. Ben only sucked in his lips as he now trying so hard not to laugh as Ivan snapped his fingers and moved side to side in a jovial matter. " _To all my neighbors you got much flavor!"_ Ivan continued to do the Carlton snapping his fingers happily as Ivan swerved in a dramatic fashion dancing along still not giving up until he can get Ben to smile. Finally, Ivan almost missed it when Ben practically whispered,

" _This how we do it_.."

"HA!" With a quick movement Ivan grabbed Ben's one arm and started to dance with him. Ben didn't show the same enthusiasm as Ivan, but it was clear he was at least smiling a bit more now. Ivan started to do the classic, pop and lock as he sung the next verse. " _Let's flip the track, bring the old school back!"_

 _"This is how we do it!"_ Ben sang louder. He then let out a yelp of surprise when Ivan proceeded to twirl him around causing the two of them to get rather close, however; Ivan was quick to let go of Ben as he continued to dance to the song, he then backed up and started to show off his best 'Elvis legs' as he wobbled his knees in and out. Then suddenly the two of them where both snapping their fingers and bobbing their heads to the music. For a second they were in sync with one another until the song finally ended, causing Twigleg to burst out laughing. Ben only tried to catch his breath as he smiled and chuckled a breathy chuckle.

"See, there's that smile, Ben!" Ivan lightly tapped Ben's shoulder as the two of them smiled. Ivan then went over to the laptop and exited out of YouTube. Holding the laptop now, Ivan smiled at Ben. "I better-eh?" Ivan watched and suddenly felt Ben grab his left arm and pull it back enough to see Cynthia's number and name on his arm. Instantly Ivan's mind started to "Ah, I bet your curious."

"No. It's pretty self explanatory. Good job getting a number, mate," Ben smiled at him as he let go of Ivan's arm. Ivan breathed out as Ben walked over and sat back down at the table, a smile still on his face as he silently folded the newspaper up. Ivan turned and walked towards the professor's study, plugging the laptop back in. Ivan turned and walked back out he then paused when he could hear Ben and Twigleg both talking to one another in the kitchen. A part of him didn't want to eavesdrop, but he just couldn't help himself.

"-He's a handsome man, Twigleg, it's obvious that he's going to have women are going to be attracted to him."

"Still, maybe you should-"

They both went quiet when Ivan stepped around the corner. Ivan smiled at them and Ben smiled back. "Mate, thanks for the small dance party, but please don't use my father's laptop like that again. He has all his important files on there." Ben explained to him as he shifted a bit in his seat.

"Oh, right, sorry about that. I just can't stand to see you sad. That reminds me, did you eat anything today after breakfast?" Ivan asked as he went towards the kitchen.

"Uh, no, but I'm not really that hungry right now."

"Rubbish. How about I make some tea and we can have some biscuits? That sounds lovely..." One he realized what he just said he turned to Ben, who was now trying to stifle a smile. "I think that was the most British thing I ever said." Ivan breathed out softly as he turned and walked back to the kitchen. Ben only chuckled and watched him leave.

* * *

Ben let out a soft sigh as he left the bathroom and made his way towards his own room. In a bathrobe, Ben lightly patted his sopping wet hair with the towel. Going to his room, Ben opened the door only to pause. Ivan was currently on his bed looking at some sort of brochure.

"Well, good thing I'm wearing a bathrobe." Ben smiled softly at Ivan as he walked over to his dresser.

"Yeah..." Ivan let out a depressed sigh causing Ben to stop rummaging for night clothes and turn to look at him.

"What's wrong?"

Ivan folded the brochure up and stuck it in his back pocket. "It's nothing really, Ben, I guess I just kinda miss America a bit,"

Ben gave him a look before frowning a bit. "Well, why don't you just go back? I mean you and Issiah could go." Ben suggested softly.

Ivan let out another sigh as he sat up and crawled to the edge of the bed. "I thought about it, but I wouldn't have anywhere to go really," Ben sat down next to Ivan and gently put a hand on his shoulder. Ivan just looked at him with a small smile on his face before humming out with curiosity, "You know, with you not having a job and me clearly having troubles getting a job. Why don't we go to America together on the dragons?"

"For a couple of obvious reasons, Ivan. One, America is such a populated place, bringing Firedrake and Issiah there would be insanely dangerous, two, Ivan if we did go we wouldn't have any money to do anything, I mean I have a bit and I'm sure we could easily get that converted but that could only last us for so long, and three, do you really think Firedrake and Issiah would want to drop everything to go to America?" Ben finished without skipping a beat.

"You make very good points." Ivan couldn't help but just laugh at the end of his sentence before gently patting Ben's leg. "I guess I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine honestly. I mean we are meeting Issiah and Firedrake here in a week, maybe you can talk them into it but we still need supplies and money and all of that. I just don't think we can really pull it off. Maybe if we save up enough money," Ben softly explained to him as he stood. "Now, can you please get out of my room so I can get changed?"

Ivan got up from Ben's bed and slowly strutted out of the door. Gently shutting it behind him. Ivan put his head against the door softly with a deep sigh. Taking the brochure out of his pocket, he looked at the statue of liberty and only shut his eyes. "Shame. I tried," He muttered softly as he folded the paper once more and placed it back into his pocket. With a heavy sigh, he trudged off outside, it was time for a smoke break.

* * *

Two days passed since Ben lost his job, Ivan and Ben were both sitting on the couch watching little Jackson, the child currently watching Dora the explorer on TV, while Ben and Ivan both sat on the loveseat their legs intertwined as they both rested their backs on opposite ends of the armrests. Ben had a book while Ivan was calling off jobs in the classifieds. "Accountant?"

"I suck at maths and I'm sure you need experience with that." Ben cooly told him as he moved the page to his book.

"I'M THE MAP! I'M THE MAP! I'M THE MAP-" Jackson sang along loudly to the song while he clapped his tiny hands along to the song, it caused the two adults to look at him before going back to reading.

"Why are we watching him again?"

"Daycare was closed today, and neither of us has a job." Ben deadpanned as he turned to the next page.

"Good point."

Jackson let out a squeal and started to run around excitedly as he clapped his hands before sitting back down.

Ivan only chuckled before feeling his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Pulling it out of his pocket he looked at the number. "217...That's an Illinois number." Ivan thought out loud as he raised an eyebrow. Answering the call, Ivan spoke, "Hello?"

"Yes, hello! Is this Joshua Newlands?" A male asked on the other side.

"N-...Yes...Sorry. Yes." Ivan corrected himself almost forgetting he was technically his twin at this point. Rubbing his forehead he waited for the other man to speak.

"Joshua, I'm James Marr's lawyer. As you know of his passing along with your bother's." Ivan sat up at that. Ben was now looking at him just as curious. "Yes. I'm aware. Is something the matter?" Ivan kept his composure in his voice, but his mind was racing. Did they find out it not really being a suicide?

"You see, Joshua, you are his sole inheritance."

"..In...Inheritance? Like...Money?" Ivan asked shocked as his jaw fell open. Ben perked up more and finally tapped Ivan's arm.

"What?" Ben whispered and Ivan quickly shushed him as the lawyer continued on.

"I am not comfortable discussing this matter over the phone, is there any way you can come here?" The man asked and Ivan rubbed his nose nervously.

"Sir, I'm currently in the UK right now," Ivan explained to the man the best he could.

"Hm, that is a problem. I'm sure you can come back to America though, right?" The man asked Ivan looked at Ben, Ben had his head tilted clearly wanting to know just what was going on.

"Sir, can I put you on hold for a second?" Ivan asked him.

"Sure."Placing the man on hold. Ivan scooted up towards Ben a bit more. "Listen, I was just on the phone with my dad's lawyer. I think money just came our way because technically I am Josh Newlands now and I am my father's sole inheritance."

"Ivan, that's great-"

"Problem. It's in America."

"Ohhh.." Ben trailed off awkwardly as he seemed to be thinking, there were a few moments of silence as they both just sat there unsure of what exactly to say. Then, finally, Ben spoke. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Let's do it, mate. I mean even if you aren't getting money, you should see just what your father had hidden away for you. Who knows, maybe he has more labs. I can use what little money I have saved up to buy us some supplies, the only thing is convincing the dragons which might be a little tricky." Ben softly explained to him.

"What if the dragons say 'no'?"

Ben only shrugged, "It's worth a shot, mate."

"How long should we tell him to wait?"

"...Probably about a month. That's good enough."

"But what about-"

"Ivan, we'll discuss everything in a moment, just answer the nice lawyer, please." Ben calmly told him.

Ivan frowned but nodded before taking the Lawyer off of hold. "Are you still there?"

"Yes."

"Ok, how's a month from today? Will that be good enough?"

There was a silence over the phone as Ivan waited anxiously, silently tapping his fingers together Ivan held his breath.

"That works out perfectly. I will see you next month then."

"Ok...WAIT! Where is your office?"

After the man gave Ivan the address to his office, and Ivan had to get up from the couch to write it down for safe keeping, they both hung up and Ivan took a deep breath in.

"Okay, first things first, we're seeing the dragons in a couple of days I think it would be best if we try and talk to the dragons before we get the supplies, but after we map out just where we need to go." Ben quickly spoke up before Ivan got the chance to do so. Ivan opened his mouth to ask, but Ben, being the mind reader he is, explained quickly, "It's better if we know where to go to harden our argument in case there is one."

"Ok good point, does your dad have any maps of America?" Ivan asked as he went to the bookshelf quickly. Ben stood and stretched from the couch. Jackson ran up to Ben and hugged himself around Ben's legs, clearly wanting to be picked up. Ben sighed and gave in, bending down to pick up Jackson before walking over towards Ivan. Ivan was now shifting through the many books on the bookshelf. Ben could only look with Ivan as he was unable to use his arm now. Jackson let out a loud yawn and rubbed his head against Ben's neck, Ben shift Jackson a bit as his eyes scanned all the book titles.

"There! Top shelf second book to the left." Ben told Ivan. Ivan looked up and let out a happy noise as he got on his toes to reach up and grab the book. Once in his hand, Ivan and Ben both went to the dining table and started to plan their trip.

* * *

Ben ran out of Ivan's car and up the hill towards where the dragons both were.

"Ben!" Sorrel suddenly yelled out catching Ben off guard, before he knew it the brownie was up in front of him. It was clear she was trying to mask her joy of seeing him by putting on a faux sour face. "Staying out of trouble?" She asked tensely once she noticed Ivan coming up behind Ben.

"Trying to," Ben smiled back at her before walking over towards Firedrake. Sorrel kept close to Ben and even grabbed his arm good arm with both of hers clearly being wary of Ivan as the other human walked behind them hands in his pockets backpack slung over his shoulder. Twigleg sat on Ben's shoulder, the homunculus looked back at Ivan before looking forward where Firedrake.

"Ben," Feeling himself being pushed back slightly, Ben chuckled and gently patted Firedrake's warm scales on the dragon's head. All he saw was a flash of blue and tensed up as Ivan suddenly yelled out. The four of them all looked over to see Issiah now on top of Ivan. The giant blue dragon peering into Ivan's eyes. Nobody moved. Finally, Issiah got off of Ivan slowly and cautiously.

"It's been a long time," Issiah huffed out, his voice low and deep, as he looked at Ivan. Ivan got off of his back and up to his feet.

"Yes it has, and I've missed you."

Ben watched as Ivan hugged Issiah's head close to his chest. For a good while everyone sat around talking about this and that. Ben showing Firedrake and Sorrel that his fake arm was really just made of rubber and attached easily just to hide the fact he didn't have an arm. Ivan spent most of his time catching Issiah up on everything since he was in jail.

Finally, after about an hour, Ivan brought up their plan. "We need to go to America," Ivan spoke to them all as he gently patted Issiah's head, the dragon's large head laying in his lap. Issiah's ears instantly perked up at that.

"America? Whatever for?" Issiah questioned before anybody else could. Ivan looked at Ben, who just nodded back urging him to continue.

"My father, he left inheritance towards my brother, Since I'm posing as him and I have his ID, I get the inheritance," Ivan explained calmly.

"Inheritance? That is?" Firedrake inquired before Issiah could.

Ivan shrugged, "Everything he left behind for Joshua I guess. Money...Plans...Anything. It's a wild guess,"

"So you want us to just leave on 'a wild guess'? It's bad enough we have to leave the rim as often as we do now!" Sorrel hissed out towards Ivan. She then turned towards Ben, "Please tell me you're not in on this?"

"Actually, I think it's a good idea. If James Marrs really left something behind for Joshua only god knows what he has locked away. It could be anything, or, it could really just be money. Either way, it's worth a shot, I say." Ben softly told her. Sorrel let out a bitter tsk. "Sorrel think about it logically, he could have secrets about dragons locked away for Joshua, and if Ivan doesn't claim it then it gets put up for an auction and if that stuff gets in the wrong hands..." Ben trailed off.

Everyone stayed quiet for a few heart beats as it slowly sunk in.

"Ok. Let's do it." Firedrake finally spoke. "To protect the dragons... where do we need to go?" At that, Ivan took off his backpack and opened it showing the book to the others. Sorrel was clearly against the whole plan and voiced it several times as Ivan showed the trail Ben and him made for everyone.

"I know Illinois, it's an easy spot to hide really, all you need to do is rest in a cornfield and nobody will spot you, well, except for people in airplanes, but, if this is the small city I know, then that won't be a problem," Ivan explained as he showed them the red circle in the middle of Illinois. "Now, my plan is really simple, grab the inheritance and go to the bank, then we call it day," Ivan simply put it in a cocky manner.

"Is it really that simple?" Sorrel questioned them.

Ben nodded to her quickly. "Just that simple,"

When Sorrel let out a heavy sigh, they knew they finally won her over on the idea. Sharing a look together, Ben and Ivan then went over the rest of the plan.

"Now, we just really need a week to prepare for this trip just to stock up on normal things like supplies," Ben more or less excitedly explained.

Ivan looked at Ben, when was the last time did he seem this excited about something? Maybe this trip will be good for the both of them. Looking at Ben's face, Ivan only sighed out happily as a small smile played on his lips.

"I think that's everything, right?" Ben turned to Ivan wanting confirmation. Realizing he wasn't paying attention, Ivan quickly made it look like he followed along with Ben the whole time by nodding frantically. "Well?" Ben inquired, Ivan started to sweat but calmed down once he realized Ben was talking to Firedrake.

"Sounds like a plan. I have to say, it's been a good while since we had a proper adventure, it'll be nice to have my rider back on and adventure once more." Firedrake leaned down and lightly bumped his head against Ben's stomach.

Issiah lifted his head slightly from Ivan's lap only to snort and lay his head back down. Ivan lightly scratched Issiah behind the ears. Still after they went after everything the three of them stayed with the dragon's, Twigleg and Sorrel chatted a bit that almost ended in an argument between the two of them if it wasn't for Ben stepping in and putting a stop to it instantly. Finally when the sun started to set Ben and Ivan started to pack up.

"We'll see you guys in a week, we should have everything we need by then," Ben softly patted Firedrake's head as he backed up towards the car. Ivan was having a more difficult time, Issiah having Ivan's shirt sleeve in his mouth and refusing to let go.

"I-Is-Issiah! Stop, I'll be back," Ivan fought against Issiah's grip. Issiah clearly didn't want to, Ivan looked back at Ben for help, Ben only shrugged in response. Finally, Issiah only let go once Ivan was pulling all his weight back. The moment Issiah let go Ivan went tumbling back and literally did a backward summersault. Ben only chuckled as he helped Ivan up to his feet. "Stubborn dragon," Ivan huffed as he patted his legs off.


	2. Chapter 2

Ben and Ivan got the supplies. mostly non-perishables, a few clothes, very little money, and two large canteens. All shoved into two large backpacks strapped to their backs, They both looked up at the setting sky and smiled at one another. Ivan had hidden his beloved car, hopefully, far enough in the woods to keep it hidden while they were gone. Walking over to the dragons that were already waiting for them, the duo quickly ran off a list, Ivan starting as he read the paper in his hands, once everything was good to go, now came the fun part.

Silently they made their way to their respective dragons, Ben was busy tying in his backpack off on Firedrake's side when he could hear Ivan speaking to Issiah softly.

"Ok, it's been a while, so easy... " Ivan softly coaxed Issiah, Ben looked over at his friend to see him already on Issiah's back, his backpack just strapped to his back. Ben only sighed and shook his head at Ivan, his friend was going to learn that he should have the bag off to the side. Turning back to his bag so he could tie it down, Ben noticed furry brown hand helping him tie it off.

"That's the only time I'm helping you," Sorrel proudly spoke as she walked away, her head high. Ben could only chuckle and climb up Firedrake, it was a little more difficult with one arm, but he made it. Sitting up in front, Sorrel got up behind Ben and the two tied themselves in nice and tight. The moon now up and full.

"Ok, now I just need to tie myself in, easy Issi-YAAH!" With a sudden scream, Ivan was shot through the sky before anybody could do anything. Issiah now flying high, Ben could see Ivan just hardly hanging on as Issiah flew faster and higher.

"Jesus!" Ben breathed out as he looked up at the sky watching Issiah.

Issiah then stopped so suddenly it caused Ivan to go up in the air and land back down on Issiah's back ungracefully.

"Ohhh..." Both Ben and Sorrel cringed as they could hear Ivan softly whimpering out.

Firedrake then unfolded his mighty wings and started to lift himself up in the air. Ben watched, kind of excited, as they were getting farther and farther from the land. Ben felt the breeze flow by his hair and smiled happily at the familiar feeling of being in the air. Once Firedrake was side by side with Issiah, Ben could only look at Ivan and raise an eyebrow at his friend. Ivan's orange hair was insanely messy now, he honestly looked a little sick and pale.

"You alright, Mate?" Ben questioned Ivan, he just got a thumbs up from Ivan as Ivan repositioned himself on Issiah's back once more.

"Y-Yeah... just gimme a moment." Ivan sighed out, Ben only chuckled at him and looked up at the night sky as Firedrake and Issiah flew high above the city. Looking down at the city lights, Ben only watched as within moments the city was then far behind them. Once Ivan got his baring's together and didn't look like he was ready to vomit, he, like Ben, started to marvel in the sites below. Ben looked at Ivan's facial expressions, the city lights below bouncing off of Ivan's face giving him a nice glow. Ivan must have felt Ben looking at him because he suddenly turned his attention to Ben causing him to quickly look away and act like he wasn't just staring at his friend.

For a while, the only sound between any of them was the wind and the occasional honking of a car from down below. Ben just soaked up the sites below, before long the lands and people vanished and only the ocean was the only thing below them. In the moonlight, Ben could see dolphins poking their fins up and down in the water. This caused Ben to wonder about the sea serpent from all those years back.

"How are you doing?" Ivan asked Ben over the winds, causing Ben to break away from the water to look at Ivan.

"Fine, you?"

"Doing great."

They both looked away from one another, Ben stretched his arm above his head and reached up so his hand gently passed by the clouds. His hand became wet and he pulled his hand down before wiping it on his jacket.

Firedrake raised up in the air a little bit more, Ben just shut his eyes and leaned back as he let the wind brush past him once again. With a nice sigh, Ben blinked as he looked up at the starry sky and the moon, he truly did miss this.

Ivan merely watched Ben from a distance and smiled softly as looked at the horizon before them. Blinking lazily he only smiled softly, things were going to be different, he could feel it.

* * *

The flight was cut short halfway through when they crossover towards a light drizzle. The thick clouds blocking the moon causing them to have to land on a tiny rock island _just_ big enough to fit all of them. The Rock did a good enough job at holding them all but did a poor job at keeping the waves at bay. Within three minutes everyone was soaked with cold ocean water.

"No! No! We cannot stay here!" Sorrel fumed as she shook her soggy fur off, not a lot of good that did as another wave crashed against the small rock island soaking her once more.

"There's nothing else we can do about it, Sorrel, we don't have any moondew so we have to wait for the rain to pass," Ben explained to her as he wiped some salt water out of his eyes to the best of his abilities.

"We don't have moondew because this trip was beyond last minute! I don't even know why this is so important to you two!" Sorrel griped at them. Issiah only huffed at Sorrel's loudness.

"Do you brownies ever shut-up?" Issiah questioned. That caused Firedrake to raise his head a little threateningly towards the other dragon.

"Hey, let me deal with this, Issiah, you'll only make it worse," Ben spoke up to the other dragon. Ivan walked over to Issiah and put a hand on the dragon's snout.

"I honestly have to agree-" Ivan started, Ben quickly stopped him, the last thing he needed was for a fight to happen between everyone before the trip even started.

"You hush," Ben ordered quickly. A wave came up and hit Ben, causing him to go back a bit. Firedrake quickly grabbed Ben by the back of his shirt and pulled him closer. Ben could have sworn for a second he heard Issiah laugh at him.

"I'm not losing you to the sea, just stay close to me for now, but, yes, Sorrel, it really is our only option," Firedrake told Sorrel calmly, Sorrel huffed out as she shook her fur off once more.

"Move your paw," She ordered Firedrake as she then settled on hiding under the dragon to get away from the rain. "Wake me when the rain passes," She only muttered as shivered bitterly. Ben only shook his head and watched as Ivan and Issiah now decided to rest up as well, Ivan clearly doesn't mind the rain as he laid next to Issiah. Ben rested against Firedrake's paw and quickly Firedrake moved his paw around Ben so he was now next to Firedrake's warm scales. Ben had drifted to sleep not long after that.

* * *

Ivan twitched his eyes as he sat up sleepily. The rain has now ceased, thankfully, but the sun was now up, meaning they couldn't leave until the daylight ended. Looking at the two dragons, Ivan only sighed and stretched his arms up high above him. Getting up, Ivan could feel the heat of the sun's rays on his back, his black shirt not doing him any favors. So with a careless shrug, he decided to just take it off and put on a vest top or something. Upon taking his shirt off a wave hit the rock, it was just a small wave so Ivan didn't get wet and he grabbed his bag, ready to find a new shirt.

' _Come with me, I can reset time.'_

Ivan paused what he was doing and set his bag down. turning towards the water he walked over towards the edge and looked down. He blinked harshly and rubbed his eyes. There, in the water, was a woman.

She had long golden blond hair that seemed to pool around her as she sat in the water, her skin on an equal level with Ben's own pale skin. However; Ivan could see on her arms were scales, shiny, scales that reflected the sunlight greatly, these scales were also on her face, going down the sides of her neck and even around her forehead in clusters around her temple. Her amber eyes met his green eyes and Ivan found himself numbly climbing down the rocks to get a closer look at her.

' _I can make it right, change time...'_

She grabbed some of her long hair and started to play with it as she sung sweetly to him, her eyes flickered towards him once more and she backed up ever so gently to show him the tip of her fish tail.

' _Come with me, I can show you what you've always wanted. Just take my hand.'_ The woman slowly lifted her scaly hand out of the water. Her fingers webbed together, her nails, no, long black talons beckoned him silently. Ivan honestly wasn't aware that had gotten even closer to the woman until he was reaching his hand out to hers.

' _Show you love, the love you want and deserve, com-'_

"IVAN NO!" Ben's shrill and worried yell caused Ivan to snap out of his trance and turn to see that he was now so close to the water that his pants legs were soaked up to the knees, all it took was a good wave to sweep him away. The woman frowned. ' _Come with me'_ She demanded bitterly as she suddenly grabbed on to Ivan's wrist. While she did that, Ben had grabbed Ivan's middle with his one arm, turns out the woman was much stronger than either of them anticipated because with one good tug the both of them fell into the ocean.

Ivan's whole body shook as his eyes widened under the water, it was cold, colder than cold. His skin tightened against the coldness. He knew he had to get to the surface, but in front of him was the woman. The woman had both of her webbed hands clasped against his face, the woman didn't look so friendly and nice now. Her eyes no longer a kind amber but a dark red. She then opened her mouth to show rows upon rows of shark-like teeth. Ivan started to struggle against her as he kicked his legs frantically and tried to pull himself away from the monster.

' _Stay with me, I can make you happy, I can turn the time back and fix his arm'_ the woman continued to sing clearly. Ivan's eyes widened under water as he then realized that Ben had fallen in as well. Feeling like he was now fully awake for the first time, Ivan could see movement out of the corner of his eye,

Ivan could see it, Ben struggling to swim up to the surface. The rigidness of the icy water probably wasn't helping his friend either, that was when he saw it, Ben's movements were slowing down. He also became aware of his own chest starting to hurt due to the lack of oxygen. Ivan somehow managed to push the creature away from him and did his best to swim over to Ben, wrapping his arms around Ben's torso. Ivan could feel his lungs scream for air as he tried to get to the surface with only his legs to help him as he had to keep a tight grip on Ben.

Bursting through the water, Ivan let out a loud cough as he took in as much air as he could. He heard Ben let out a cough as well. Ivan's leg was grabbed and he was pulled back under. The creature now clawing at his legs with her talons hissed at him, ' _You WILL stay with me!'_

Ivan was going to try and kick her off, but Ben beat him to it and kicked her as hard as he could. She raked her talons down Ivan's leg. Ivan ignored the pain and started to swim towards the surface again. Once up for a second time Ivan and Ben both took in deep breaths. Ivan started to swim towards the island, the dragons, and Sorrel, both up and looking at them now. Issiah let out a low growl, "IVAN!"

Ivan had just barely managed to get to the first rock when his leg was grabbed again. The creature now visible to everyone. With his own growl, Ivan screamed out, "PISS OFF!" With a violent kick to the monster's face, he managed to free himself and get back to the island with Ben. All Ivan saw was the creature's tail retreating under the water and he only snorted as he helped Ben to his feet. Cautiously they both climbed back up to safety.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND! FOLLOWING A SIREN INTO THE WATER LIKE THAT!?" Sorrel felt the need to scream at, not Ivan, but Ben. Both of them shivered where they stood.

"That... _thing_ pulled us both down, Sorrel," Ivan explained to her softly as he started to move his arms down violently enough to get all the excess water off of him.

"No, It didn't! I saw the whole thing. He jumped in after you stupidly got yourself grabbed by that Siren!" Sorrel yelled at Ivan, she then added, "You never! Ever listen to anything a siren has to say, ever! They are tricky devils! Oh, fools fungus I need something to eat to calm down!" Sorrel pulled on her ears as she went towards her bags.

"I will agree with Sorrel, what you two did was beyond dangerous and stupid. You both could have gotten killed. Stay close to us from now on, please." Firedrake scolded them before ushering them closer with his tail. "Which one of you is bleeding?" He asked them both. Ben shivered violently where he sat.

"Not me," Ben breathed out as he continued to shake.

"Yeah, it's me," Ivan observed as he looked down at his leg where the siren had clawed all the down. from his knee down his calf it was just a horrible bloody mess, his jeans ripped in three strips from where the siren had got him. Honestly, he was surprised he couldn't feel it, but the adrenaline mixed with his cold body probably helped numb the pain. Issiah had gotten closer to Ivan, so close that Ivan could feel the dragon's hot breath on his neck. Issiah gently placed his head on Ivan's shoulder and watched as Firedrake blew some fire on Ivan's leg.

Ivan felt the heat against his skin, and honestly thought that part of his skin would just melt away, but just like that the heat was gone and when Ivan looked down he saw that his wound, though still red and throbbing, was closed up and no longer bleeding.

"Now, that'll probably be fully healed by tomorrow, just be careful with it as it's still probably sensitive right now," Firedrake told Ivan softly. Ivan nodded and tiredly rested his head against Firedrake's shoulder. He felt drained, wiped out, exhausted, all of it. Still, he moved his head to look at Ben, Ben still shivering and instantly he felt more guilt pile on his shoulders. He almost got Ben killed, again. Their adventure just started and the first thing he does is fall for a siren? This was not a good sign. Scooting over closer to Ben, Ivan frowned, he could Issiah snort rather bitterly as Ivan turned his attention towards Ben. All he could to was wrap his arms around Ben in a hug.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, I normally have better common sense than that!" Ivan yelled out with a headshake, why was he so stupid?!

"Bah! That's sirens for you," Sorrel butted in bitterly, she was now shoving mushrooms into her mouth at a fast rate as her fur seemed to bristle angrily. "You give them a little bit of attention and next thing you know you're being pulled down into the water."

"Wait, you keep calling her a siren, wasn't she a mermaid?" Ivan questioned Sorrel.

"No, Mermaids are annoyingly sweet, they don't sing to you, that's strictly sirens."

"Well, the little mermaid lied to me then," Ivan muttered.

"Ivan you've been hugging me for far too long now," Ben spoke up finally, Ivan quickly let go of his friend and looked away slightly embarrassed.

"Who is this 'little mermaid' you speak of? Is it Nelsie?" Sorrel could only question as she tapped her chin in thought.

"What? No, Sorrel...It's just a human movie, there is no actual mermaid that I know of," Ivan responded rather dumbly as he realized that Sorrel had no concept of movies or modern day human technology. Sorrel only let out a snort at that.

"I'm going back to sleep," was all she had to say as she went and laid down next to Firedrake, who had already fallen back asleep, "I suggest you two stay close." She finished as she laid under Firedrake's paw once more. Ivan looked at Ben. Ben had now taken off his shirt and laid it out for the sun to dry it for him. He seemed to get ready to take off his pants but paused when he realized Ivan was watching him.

"Do you mind?"

"Eh? Sorry, Sorry," Out of respect, Ivan looked up at the sky as Ben silently and quickly stripped down. After a few moments of twiddling his thumbs and looking up at the bright blue sky, Ben finally spoke up once more.

"Alright."

Looking over at Ben now, Ben was now in dry clothes, his other clothes on a rock getting dry. Ivan only smiled at him as Ben laid down next to Firedrake.

"I guess that was pretty stupid of us," Ben told Ivan softly as he rested his head against Firedrake's stomach.

"You think?" Issiah felt the need to answer to Ben, Ivan just reached up, and softly tapped the dragon's side with his knuckle, telling him to stop.

"It's alright, I guess we both just needed a reminder about magical creatures when traveling with dragons, they aren't always nice," Ivan decided on saying, he could only shrug sadly.

"Yeah, for the longest time we both really just had to deal with evil humans, I tend to forget that magical creatures can sometimes be that way as well. The only difference is they do what they do for survival whereas the humans... not so much." Ben laughed softly at the end of his sentence and Ivan only chuckled back as well.

"I'm going to bed, let's try to not get killed this time around."

"Deal."

With that they both curled up beside their respected dragons, Issiah laid his head down on Ivan's shoulder. Ivan looked at Ben and sighed out softly. He knew that from now on he was going to have to be careful, especially in the USA. Only God knows what kind of ungodly creatures they are going to run into there, human or otherwise.


	3. Chapter 3

They reached America in two day's time, once they passed over Mexico the next they needed to do was to simply move their way upwards into Illinois and they'd be home free. They rested in Georgia, Ben said Florida would have been a better choice, but Ivan shut that down with a quick: 'You don't wanna go to Florida.'

So, after a rather long flight, with Issiah causing a bit of mayhem in the group with his mouth and his inability to filter his insults towards Sorrel, which in turn caused Firedrake to snap back at the other dragon as well, Ivan and Ben were rather happy to be sitting down in a large field during the sweltering heat of the summer as their dragons slept.

"They're cute when they aren't snapping at one another." Ivan chuckled as he brought his knees up to his chest, looking at the two curiously.

"You need to do something about Issiah, Ivan," Ben spoke clear as day as he wiped some sweat from his eyes. "I'm being serious. His comments towards Sorrel are going too far, to the point that even Firedrake is fighting with him... and Firedrake likes everyone!"

"Well, if we're being fair, Sorrel isn't exactly an ideal flight mate. She's loud, rude, demanding, treats everyone that's not you or Firedrake like dirt-"

"That's how she is with everyone, Ivan. That's how all brownies are. Honestly, just give them some mushrooms and they'll be happy with you. She's my friend, okay and the comments Issiah makes are going a tad too far. Can you please just say something to him?" Ben asked as he looked into Ivan's green eyes. Ivan looked back into Ben's eyes, and for a moment they both just stared at one another before Ivan caved with a bitter sigh.

"Fiiiine. I'll talk to him when he wakes."

"Thank you," Ben smiled before looking around with a happy sigh. "So. Georgia. What's there to do or see?"

"Nothing really. Besides peaches, nobody really remembers Georgia for much." Ivan informed Ben as Ben looked around the field a bit more.

"I wonder if America has any kind of fabulous creatures of their own?"

Ivan couldn't help but laugh at Ben.

"That'd be a site! Pollution redneck fairies, Alligator swamp people," Ivan continued to giggle at the idea.

"Still, you never know..." Ben informed as he stood. "When I was a kid, I thought stuff like dragons, and fabulous creatures were all a myth, then one day a dragon decided to rest in the warehouse I was sleeping in."

* * *

The hot weather was beating on the two of them tenfold by the time Midday had come around. Ben and Ivan had decided to both lose their shirts just to keep cool. Ivan had looked over at Ben, his eyes lowering towards Ben missing arm, he had his prosthetic on and for Ivan, it felt like someone had just socked him square in the chest the longer he looked at the fake arm. _'It's plastic and it's your fault! It's plastic and it's your fault! It's-'_

"Urg, my white skin will blind you," Ben observed as he looked at his pale chest before looking at Ivan snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, it's not that bad." Ivan chuckled softly in return.

"I have the complexion of an egg."

"Don't all Brits?"

Ben gave Ivan a bit of a playful shove causing the two of them to laugh a bit. "Bugger off with that." Ben laughed softly. The two of them then went quiet as Ben looked past the field towards the obviously paved road.

"Anyway, you should get some sleep, it's almost noon," Ivan told Ben as he looked at his phone for the time.

"Oh, right, what about you?"

"I'll wake Sorrel here shortly to keep watch. It'll be fine." Ivan waved Ben off. Ben nodded and walked off to sleep next to Firedrake. As he did that, Ivan looked up at the bright blue Georgia sky, before going to his backpack to look over the map. Reaching down to pull the map out of his pack, Ivan paused when he felt something fuzzy beneath his fingertips. "Oh?" He asked as pulled the fuzzy thing out. Instantly he met with a few choice words from a tiny familiar voice as he pulled Twigleg out of his pack.

"Ah, a little stowaway~" Ivan cooed.

"Ow! Put me down!" Twigleg whined as he thrashed around. Ivan put Twigleg on his shoulder and leaned back.

"Couldn't stand the thought of being left behind, I take it?"

"I can't stand it when Ben leaves me behind! Not since what happened last time I was left behind! So, no, I can't stand it. It doesn't help you and Ben have close to matching bags. I should have known by the smell that it was yours though."

"Whoa, what's with the shade, Pequeño amigo?" Ivan asked coolly as he leaned back.

"Don't you use Spanish on me. Still, it stands, you two left me behind and clearly didn't even care. I could have easily told you to stay away from the water when the Siren started singing. But noooo, leave little Twigleg behind, I see how you are." Twigleg threw his nose up in the air in annoyance and crossed his little arms.

"Aw, Twigleg don't be like that, you know Ben would never leave you behind on purpose. This trip was just so last minute... At least you're here now."

"You're only saying that."

"No, Twigleg I mean it. Ben was kinda distraught when he realized he had forgotten you again. You should have shown yourself sooner it would have made Ben a little happier." Ivan winked as he poked Twigleg's cheek playfully.

Twigleg gave Ivan a curious look before relaxing finally. "Alright, I believe that... so, what's the plan you got going on here? I looked at the map and listened into to your conversations, but I am a little lost."

"It's simple," pausing, Ivan pulled the map out of his backpack. "We're here." He pointed at Georgia. "We just need to go across Tennessee, and we'll be in Illinois, from there we need to find Peoria and the lawyers office."

"Easier said than done, Ivan." Twigleg pointed out rather bitterly to Ivan as he glanced over the map. "No, what you need to do is you can't rely on landmarks-"

"I haven't-"

"Ivan, I've been listening to your plan for three days now, it's a ridiculous plan."

"Ben liked it..." Ivan mumbled slightly hurt by Twigleg's words.

"Well, yeah, he's too nice to tell you it's a horrible plan, plus, he doesn't know the area all that well. Here's what you really need to do. Instead of focusing solely on landmarks. you need to find the major cities marked on this map. Like, where are we, city wise?"

"Uhhhhhh..."

"Exactly. For all you know we could still be in Florida. No, we need to find out where we are exactly, that means-"

"Finding the road signs in the area, crap, those are... those could be anywhere, near or far," Ivan mumbled as he realized just what Twigleg was saying.

"Once we know just where we are, we can easier track down where we need to go," Twigleg finished as he looked over at Ivan who was now rubbing his head in thought.

"..." Ivan didn't respond as he continued to think of just what to do. Finally, he snapped his fingers joyfully. "Got it, I'll just try and get a driver's attention."

"Ivan, I don't think a single car as passed by the area, isn't that the whole point of us stopping here to sleep?" Twigleg questioned with an eyebrow raise.

"... Fine. I'll have to have Firedrake and Issiah to fly lower than, just so we can see exactly where we are in Georgia... see Twigleg! You've already helped us by being here!" Ivan happily spoke as he stood and put the map away back in his pack. Before walking over to Issiah, "For now, however, I'm going to get some sleep." Ivan told him as he laid down next to Issiah sleepily. Twigleg crawled down from Ivan's arm and sat on his stomach, crossing his legs as he did so,

"Very well."

* * *

After another two days of flying, (and getting lost due to Ivan not being clear and eventually Twigleg having to take the lead) they finally reached their destination, just on the outskirts of Peoria IL, and Ivan was honestly starting to feel a little nervous now. He started feeling like his collar would choke him so he would constantly be pulling at his collar which would cause his shirt to rise up, so he would pull at the hem of his shirt which would cause his collar to feel like it was starting to choke him, so he would pull at his shirt's hem and it was just an endless cycle.

That was until Ben finally forced Ivan's hands down. "Ivan, it'll be fine, we'll use what little money we have to rent a motel room, get you showered up and smelling nice, the lawyer won't suspect a thing," Ben reassured him. Ben had then reached up to touch Ivan's face, first he had his hand on Ivan's cheeks then moved his hand to Ivan's orange locks. Ivan only chuckled before resting his head against Ben's affectionately. Hearing Twigleg's obvious gags from over near Sorrel Ivan opted to just ignore the manikin.

However; Ivan could hear Issiah suddenly give out a series of bitter upset snorts. This caused Ivan to turn and look at his dragon. Issiah had actually made a patch of black charred earth where the grass was still smoldering a bright orange.

"Everything alright there, Issiah?" Ivan asked the dragon.

"The ground was cold." Was the only reply his dragon would give him, Issiah wouldn't even look at him but Issiah's ears were back in an annoyed manner almost like a cat. Ivan raised his eyebrow but didn't push it.

"So, how long will you two be gone?" Sorrel asked Ben as she scratched her ear lazily.

"A day or two max," Ben answered honestly. "Trust me, we don't plan on staying away for too long."

"Good. I already went so long with you." Issiah cooed weakly at Ivan. Ivan chuckled softly before clamping his hands on Issiah's cheeks and nuzzling his nose affectionately with his own nose.

"Don't worry I'm not leaving you, not this time." Ivan grinned cheekily. Issiah nuzzled Ivan back before letting out a soft worried coo. Ivan watched as Issiah's ears flicked up briefly before lowering.

"Ivan? If you would have to choose between me and… him… you'd choose me… right?" Issiah's voice was in a low whisper and the question itself actually threw Ivan for a loop. He didn't even understand it until he followed Issiah's gaze and saw him looking at Ben. Ben- thankfully- wasn't even paying attention to the two of them, no he was talking with Firedrake, probably saying goodbye for the time being.

"Issiah, are you jealous of-" Ivan tried to speak the one question on his mind but Issiah just gave another bitter snort in response.

"Just answer the question, Ivan. You'd choose me over him if it really counts, right?"

Ivan was starting to feel uncomfortable under Issiah's questioning gaze. _'He's jealous of Ben? When the hell did this become a thing and why?... Jesus Christ…'_ Ivan rubbed the back of his neck before just giving out a soft and sudden snort trying to make it seem like he was laughing at the question. "I-Issiah, what kinda question is that? Of course, I'd choose you." He fibbed only slightly because truthfully he had no idea who'd he choose in this situation. Issiah seemed satisfied with Ivan's answer because he relaxed.

"Try and come back soon then, okay? I was thinking maybe when this is all said and done than me and you could go and travel again. Just the two of us." His ears perked up happily before he rubbed his head against Ivan's stomach. "No annoying Brownies, humans, or other dragons."

Ivan was instantly reminded of his promise to Ben, to talk to Issiah about his snappy attitude towards Sorrel and he decided to go the rational route "I-I don't exactly understand. Didn't you like it in the rim? Where is this obvious brownie hate coming from?" Ivan questioned.

"They're… not for me. They're too snarky, especially Sorrel, trust me you weren't stuck listening to her whine every day." Issiah explained simply as he seemed to have a bit of a smug smirk on his face. Ivan didn't understand it until he turned around and realized that Firedrake had 100% heard just what Issiah said by the silver dragon's perked up ears, but he did not act at all. No, Ivan knew Firedrake enough to know he probably didn't want to upset either Sorrel or Ben and will probably speak to Issiah in private about it.

"Hey, Ivan! I need some help with our bags!" Ivan heard Ben yell suddenly.

"You know... I should help him." Without another word, Ivan just turned and quickly walked off to help Ben. 'That was… weird…' Ivan thought before shaking his head as he snatched one of the bags and threw it over his shoulder. Ivan then looked at Ben, who had the other bag over his one shoulder. "Here- I'll take that-" Ivan went to take the other bag off of Ben's shoulder.

"No." Ben almost sounded offended at that as he slapped Ivan's hand away. "... I got this one…" He muttered the last part a little more quietly before casting his eyes down to his shoes.

"Right, of course. So, is that everything?"

"Yep!"

Ivan gave a nod to Ben in return. "Okay then, I guess we'll head off then. Like mentioned before we shouldn't be gone for more than two days. We'll see just what my dad had hidden away and come back."

"Be safe." Firedrake nuzzled Ben affectionately. Twigleg jumped from Sorrel's shoulder and climbed up to Ben's.

"You aren't leaving me this time around. I want you to know that." Twigleg stubbornly put it as he crossed his tiny arms over his chest.

"I wasn't going to! Not this time anyway." Ben teased, Twigleg only stuck his tongue out.

Ivan suddenly felt Issiah nudged his hand. "Hey, remember, when this is over just me and you, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, Issiah…" Ivan then felt Ben tap his arm for attention, looking at Ben Ivan could see the obvious confusion on his face from what Issiah just said. "Don't worry too much." Was all Ivan could tell Ben and Ben just shrugged in response. "Alright, enough dilly-dallying, let's go."

* * *

"God, you have no idea how much you miss taking a shower until you've gone days without having one," Ivan muttered as he strolled out of the motel bathroom, a simple towel wrapped around his waist. After finding a cheap motel ( but not before getting their Pounds converted to Dollars) Ben had been the one to think of a game plan for tomorrow while Ivan showered.

"Okay, counting the money we have left after getting this motel room we have a little under $100 left. In short, I hope your father left you, _Joshua_ , some money." Ben lightly teased he even stuck his tongue out just a little at his joke.

"You ain't kiddin', some more money would be nice, but putting a stop to any more of his experiments is a nice plus as well." Ivan ran his fingers through his sopping wet hair before sitting next to Ben on the bed. Twigleg perked up at this just a little. "So... say there _is_ money involved-"

"Well, it'd be yours, provided you prove your Joshua and not Ivan."

"ID right here." Ivan reached into his bag and pulled out his wallet showing that he has been using Josh's ID and that it was front and center.

"Right, hopefully, that'll be enough. And, uh, well- uh, you could do whatever you want with it. You know... Go on some trip with Issiah- anything!" Ivan only chuckled at Ben but didn't say much of anything in return. Truthfully he didn't know what to say in return as a part of him wanted to go with Issiah, it sounded fun, but the other part... Once Ben realized he wasn't getting a response to that he continued on. "Uh, either way. We have to take a taxi to the Lawyer's off tomorrow. How much will that be?"

"Shouldn't be too much."

"... I need... figures, Ivan."

"Dunno. I've only lived here for so long, also my mom drov-"

"You have a mother?"

"... No, I was born in a test tube- of course, I have a mother!" Ivan sarcastically responded back to Ben.

"No I mean is she alive? Did she work with your father? Oh, he killed her!-"

"Ben, Chill! Jesus..." Ivan put his hands up at Ben's sudden questioning. "No, my dad didn't kill her... she left him, according to my dad she wanted nothing to with me or Josh. Okay, I only have brief memories of her."

Ben's gaze softened a little before he frowned at that. "Oh... kinda like the reverse, Oliver..." Ben muttered softly.

"Yeah, I guess." There was a silence between the two of them. It wasn't tense, but it was an awkward few seconds before Ben suddenly gave an obvious cringe of pain and grasped on to his plastic arm. "Whoa, Whoa, Que esta mal?" Ivan asked too quickly in Spanish. Twigleg quickly jumped from his spot on the bed and ran over to Ben with intensive worry.

"It's... nothing. Just... Phantom pain... that's all." Ben breathed out several deep breaths before straightening up. "It's fine. I'm fine, see? I'm fine." He told the two of them before doing his best to relax. "It happens, nothing I can do about it."

"Do you need-" Twigleg tried to ask, but Ben quickly silenced the two of them before Ivan could even open his mouth.

"I'm fine! I'm fine. Okay? You know, I think I just need a shower-" Ben quickly shot up from his spot on the bed and made his way towards the bathroom. "-So, I'm going to do that, Ivan please have some clothes on when I get out." Ben tried to joke but Ivan could see that Ben was shaking something awful.

"Be-" Ivan tried to call him back, to talk to him but the door to the bathroom shut quickly and Ben was gone.

"Oh, Twiggy... we need to do something for Ben..."

"Like what?" Twigleg asked Ivan as he scrambled up Ivan's right arm.

"I don't know... that's the thing..."


	4. Chapter 4

The day finally arrived and it seemed like it was going to be a rainy day. First when Ben woke up he assumed it was very early in the morning by just how dark it was outside, but he got a surprise when he looked at his phone and found out it was ten am. He looked over at Ivan who was half on and half off of his bed. One of his arms draped down the side of the bed almost touching the floor. His face buried deep into a pillow. _'I keep telling that bugger to not lay face down...'_ Ben thought a little bitterly as he looked at Ivan's sleeping form. Ben sat up more straight in his bed and looked over at Twigleg now. Twigleg was asleep on the pillow next to Ben's head. Twigleg looked so peaceful sleeping that Ben decided not to wake him just yet. Quietly he pushed himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.

 _"Benjamin. You aren't going to bounce back from this right away. I want you to know that. Losing your arm... it's going to take some time to recover-" The doctor told Ben before pulling out some papers from his clipboard and handing them over to Ben. "-These papers should help you. I included some links for a couple of prosthetics, of course you'd need to talk to a_ _prosthetist_ _which I will provide during our next visit of course. I am aware your parents don't make that much money but there are some cheap ones on there." The doctor pointed out to Ben._

 _Ben swallowed hard as he felt his emotions start to flood, a low shuttered breath left his mouth he tried his best to keep himself from crying out loud._

Ben hummed a song softly as he left the bathroom. Ivan and Twigleg still fast asleep, so Ben walked over to the Motel's provided coffee pot. He honestly didn't know if he wanted to make himself a cuppa or some coffee both complementary with the room. With a mug in his hand, Ben stood there for a few seconds before he could decide he heard a loud and sudden _BOOM!_ From outside.

 _The crash was caused by the giant metal cabinet. The glass is smashed and Josh's body is pinned to the ground by the heavy cabinet._

 _Ben caused the cabinet to fall on him. He killed Ivan's brother._

 _He's a murderer. Murder. Murder!_

 ** _MURDERER!_**

"Hey... Hey..." It was Ivan's voice that was slowly bringing Ben back to reality. For Ben it was like tunnel vision in reverse: First it was black and slowly everything was coming into his vision. Ben was now on the floor, the mug in his hand now shattered at his knees. His hand was on his forehead and his breath with ragged and he was shaking. Ivan cautiously put his hand on Ben's back. "It's okay... it's okay... It was only thunder." Ivan gently pressed against Ben's back in an attempt to get him to stand up. It worked as Ben slowly started to stand. Ivan helped Ben up with his hand still on Ben's back.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Ben automatically (more robotically) spoke. He had a thousand mile stare that he knew told Ivan the truth.

"Uh-huh. C'mon..." Ivan walked Ben towards the bed and helped him sit down. "I'm going to get you a cuppa." Ivan practically whispered to Ben before hurrying off to get him just that. Ben stared at the window, the outside hidden by the blinds, the sky was still such an inky black it seemed like it was more night time than ten am.

"Are you okay? You just started screaming..." Twigleg spoke up from beside Ben. Twigleg then jumped on to Ben's knee sitting down instantly he looked up at Ben with worry. Ben shut his eyes for a few seconds and just focused on his breathing.

In and out. In and out. Slowly he focused on his breathing: In through his nose and out through his mouth. After what had to be a good minute or two Ben opened his eyes and looked down at Twigleg before giving him a small smile "I'll be fine." He assured softly and then gently brought Twigleg in for a small hug.

"Here... they have little sugar packets as well as Half 'n half did you need any?" Ivan carefully handed Ben a hot steaming cup of tea, Ben could easily tell this wasn't Earl Grey breakfast tea. Ben shook his head 'no' and just took a sip.

"..." Ben's nose gave an obvious scrunch from the taste. That only caused Ivan to chortle at Ben's face.

"Oh? Don't like our tea?"

"You call this tea?" Ivan laughed at the obvious disgust in Ben's voice as Ben placed the cup down on the night stand by his bed. Ben picked Twigleg up, placed him on his shoulder, and then stood up from the bed. "We should get ready... it's almost eleven." Ben observed. Ivan blinked and looked at the time with Ben before nodding.

"You're right."

So, they both started to get dressed for the day. Ben had just finished getting dressed and was going for his shoes that were simple slip on vans-

 _"I would suggest getting clothes that would be easy to put on with one arm," Ben's physical therapist explained to him. "Over time after some physical therapy you should be able to at least attempt these clothes but for now..." The therapist paused as they then pulled out a piece of paper which Ben took. "Get shoes that slip on, nothing with laces. Pants, I'd go for pants with no buttons or zippers which they do make so don't get all upset, oh, also shirts I shouldn't have to say this but don't go for button downs, just ones you can slip on and go..."_

 _Ben shut his eyes for a moment, placed the paper down, and started to rub his forehead uneasily. Of course the Physical Therapist saw this and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I'm going to help you learn how to get dressed with normal clothing, but baby steps. Okay?"_

Together, Ben and Ivan walked down the street away from the motel their bags on their shoulders as they walked. It honestly wasn't much better being outside. The sky was just an awful black making Ben wonder why it hadn't rained already. "I mean it wasn't a bad motel for the price." Ivan shrugged half-heartedly.

"I won't complain." Ben shrugged back in return to Ivan. A yellow taxi passed by them on the street and Ben blinked suddenly. "Oh? Do we need to flag it down?!" Ben almost got ready to stick his arm out to get the taxi's attention that was speeding away from them-

"No. Not here..." Ivan already had his phone out and was already dialing. "Unless we are in a major city we mostly just call the Taxi company as they are privately owned anyway." He explained to Ben the phone already pressed to his ear. Ben gave out a soft 'Ohhh' in response.

"Yes, Hi! My name is Iv-Joshua Newlands!-" Ivan paused and gave Ben a sorta 'oops' look before continuing with the phone call. "I'm located-" Ivan paused once again to look at his surroundings to get a good look as to where he was. "Uh- at the Econo lodge with a friend we need to be dropped off at-..." Ivan paused, once again!, but this time his face screwed up a little as it dawned on Ben that he had forgotten just where the lawyer's office was and was trying to rack his brain for the address. "Know what? Just come and pick us up. I'll tell you where we're going when you get here." Ivan tried to play it off cooly before hanging up. "They'll be here in about ten minutes."

"Smooooth." Ben sarcastically commented to Ivan earning a playful shove. So, they now sat at a nearby bench together. Seeing how they were alone Ben decided to allow Twigleg out of his pocket for the time being. Kicking his shoes against the ground Ben looked up at the inky dark sky.

"Does it always get this dark?" Twigleg asked the question that was on Ben's mind. Ivan gave a shrug in response.

"Hard to say. That's summer for you here in the U.S. though, however, I know for a fact that Britain is just as dark and rainy, so don't you two try me like that." Ivan decided smartly commented in the end.

"That's the thing, Ivan... there is no rain, hell, there's almost no wind either... you sure this is normal? Because I'm having a bad feeling about this." Ben wasn't lying when he said that. Ever since this morning when he woke up and saw just how dark it was outside he's been having a gnawing feeling in his gut telling him that something was wrong.

"It's fine. Okay? It'll rain a little later down the road, sometimes rain just has to... I don't know build in the clouds? Do I look like a weather expert?"

Ben gave a soft laugh at Ivan before deciding that maybe he was right in some weird way. The rain will come soon, but as he thought that he soon realized he had another question on his mind and turned to Ivan. "Why'd you tell the taxi company you were Josh?"

"Oh, I just didn't want the lawyer to check up on anything and realize "Oh, this isn't Joshua Newlands." So, I faked it."

"Ivan, it's a lawyer, he's not going to check on everything you do in hopes of catching you being a fraud. I mean now, if you were in court it'd be different... but you're not going to court! Also. You put your name down in the motel-"

"No, I put yours."

Ben blinked several times as the information started to process in his mind. "How? I mean you showed him your ID- Ivan! Did you steal my name!?"

"No! No. Calm down. I just used your ID."

"But I wasn't at the front desk."

"I know, you were over looking at the snacks. I just told the front desk that you were too shy to come up because of your disability-"

Twigleg anticipated what happened next as he quickly scampered into Ben's shirt pocket, but Ivan didn't as Ben proceeded to sock him as hard as he could in the shoulder. Clearly catching Ivan off guard in the process. " _Don't you ever_ _use my disability as an excuse behind my back! ever!"_ Ben roared in full offense as he then repeatedly started to hit Ivan's shoulder in rapid succession.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" Ivan brought his hands out to try and stop Ben, but it didn't work as Ben just kept on trying to hit him, finally, Ivan just grabbed Ben by his fist to stop him. "I'm sorry! Okay. I didn't think and I just panicked!" Ben gave a snort and turned his head away from Ivan now not even wanting to look at him. "Oh, Ben. Don't give me that! C'mon-" A yellow taxi cab came up to the bench and a dark skin man poked his head out of the drivers side window.

"You Joshua?"

"Yep, that's me. Alright, let's just go and get this over with." Ivan got up from the bench but Ben did not. Ivan sighed loudly once he realized this. "Ben? Please? I can't do this without." Ivan told him as he gestured towards the yellow taxi. Ben did get up from his bench and walked over to the Taxi but he still refused to look at Ivan. Getting into the backseat Ben simply shut the door and kept his eyes out the window. He could hear the faint sound of a rap song playing through the speakers.

Ben felt Ivan get in next to him as the door shut the driver asked "Where to?"

 _"Alright, where to?" The taxi cab driver asked Ben as he got into the passenger side 'Tell me ma' by shamrock playing through the speakers loud and clear making Ben actually smile at the catchy song._

 _"Oh? The HMP in Liverpool please." Ben grinned brightly at the driver._

 _"Ah, seeing someone that was up to no good, I see?"_

 _"Yeah, something like that."_

 _Off the driver went towards the jail. Ben leaned against the window watching the sights move passed him with a bit of glee. Today was the day Ivan finally got released from jail and Ben couldn't be more excited to finally get to give his friend a proper hug, to actually get to talk to him for more than an over behind a glass pane, to finally say thank you for taking the blame... and... to finally ask just what the hell happened to James that faithful night._

 _The ride didn't take too long and by the time they got there Ivan was already out, wearing the same clothes he wore the night he got arrested. Ben absolutely bolted from the cab ignoring the cabbie calling him back to pay. Ivan was fast though. Ivan managed to swoop Ben up in his arms and spin him around completely catching Ben off guard and causing him to yell out in surprise. "Either I still weigh only a hundred pounds or you've gotten stronger!" Ben gasped out as Ivan placed him back down onto the ground._

 _"Well, when you've been in prison the most to do is to work out in some way or form!" Ivan half-joked to Ben. There was a few seconds of silence between the two before they hugged more properly this time around. Ivan even rocked Ben side to side ever so gently as they hugged. Finally, they separated and Ben started to lead Ivan towards the cab._

 _"I can't wait to catch you up on all that happened!"_

 _"Where's Twigleg?" Ivan asked him out of the blue._

 _"At home. I know this will sound weird, but he kinda fostered a man made out of clay."_

 _"You're right. that does sound weird."_

 _Ben opened the passenger side door but he was met with a disgruntled grunt from the cabbie. "No. Get a new cabbie. I'm not driving you pair of fairies anywhere. Just pay me." Ben felt flabbergasted at the sudden rudeness of the cabbie._

 _"Ex-excuse me?!" Ben could only ask._

 _"I said I ain't driving you fairies! Just pay me for the fare you owe!"_

 _"No." Ivan spoke this time. "No we won't! And fyi we're just friends! but that doesn't matter. Take your cab fare and shove it!" Ivan flipped the cabbie off and grabbed Ben's arm. "Let's go. We'll find another cabbie along the way."_

 _"Hey! You still have to pay!"_

 _"No ride no money! Plus I'm not paying a homophobe!" Ivan yelled back not even turning to look at the guy._

 _"Ivan-" Ben stopped suddenly as he turned back to the cabbie. Yeah, he didn't agree with cabbie's harsh words but still... "You just got out of jail... I think not paying would be a bad idea especially in a jail parking lot-"_

 _"He refused to give us a ride back, therefore I'm refusing to pay him."_

"Twenty dollars! For three miles!? are you kidding me, that sir is an outrage!" Ivan yelled at the cab driver.

"I don't make the cab fare, sir! I just work here!"

"I know that! I still need to yell my frustrations out!" Ivan threw the cabbie his money, plus a small tip before shutting the door and letting the cabbie go. Ivan looked over at Ben, who only raised an eyebrow at him in response. "What? finally gonna say something?" Ben then turned his head away from Ivan. "Yeah, that's what I figured- Ben! How many times do I have to apologize. I'm _sorry_ it won't happen again, you have my word! I just... didn't think I was doing anything wrong-" Ben shot Ivan a pretty nasty glare at that. "Okay! I knew it was wrong, but... I just... I'm sorry!" Ivan's voice actually cracked at the end of his sentence making Ben roll his eyes ever so slightly before finally speaking out.

" _Never_ use my disability for personal gain again. Unless I say it's okay. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Yes! Okay... understood. I will ask you from now on... just stop being mad, please?"

Ben turned to look at the lawyer's office. "So, ready to see what your dad is hiding away, Josh?"

"Yeah..."

Together the two of them walked through the door. The place was pretty small, hell there was only one lawyer present sitting behind one desk. Ben had a pretty strong feeling he was the one Ivan talked to on the phone. The poor man had just a clusterfuck of papers strewn all over his desk. His head was down in said papers and he seemed to be opening... weeping. He had no clue that they were currently inside the building with him. All Ben could see was the man's messy brown hair, clearly his hair was messy through his own doing.

Ivan's eyebrows knitted together in pure confusion as he grabbed Ben's arm and the two of them backed out of the doorway. The door shut and they were back out in the blackened outside. Ivan looked up at the building's name.

"What's up?" Ben asked him as the obvious confusion was setting in on Ivan's face.

"... My father... he hires the best of the best."

"Yeah?"

"So why the hell would he hire a lawyer that is crying in a stack of papers?"

"Is it the right lawyer?"

"Yeah. _Hale and son's_." Ivan pointed to the name. "This is them... it just doesn't make sense."

"Well... let's talk to him then... maybe he was just having... a break down, I dunno…"

So, back inside they went. The man was still quietly weeping on his stack of papers. "Sir?" Ben asked causing the man to jump at attention from his spot. The man was in a cheap blue and white pinstriped suit almost reminding Ben of the tenth doctor from _Doctor Who._ Only this man was clearly not David Tennant. No, his nose was a big and just a tad hooked, his eyes a sadden wet blue, his ears just a tad too big, and he had little buck teeth. The man brought his sleeve up to wipe his nose. Ben tried to not look so disgusted by that.

"Oh, hello!" He tried to fake happiness. "I'm-" A small hiccup of sadness escaped the man's mouth. "-I'm Woodroooo-" The man planted his face onto his stack of papers and just started to bawl his eyes out rather obnoxiously. Ben and Ivan shared a look of confusion this time around.

"I'm sorry, but... you are my father's old lawyer right? Madison Hale?" Ivan asked him finally.

"Nooooo…" The man's muffled voice replied from the stack of papers. He said something in reply but it was so muffled by papers and sobs that Ben just couldn't make out what was said.

"I'm sorry, sir, could you just... lift your head up and answer again," Ivan questioned him. The man lifted his head up as requested a piece of paper actually stuck to his forehead making him just look insanely ridiculous. Ben couldn't stop his facepalm this time around.

"Madison Hale is my wife. She left me-" A sniffle. "-With my son-" another sniffle. "alone-" sniffle. "With a dying business!" The man's head went back down to the desk.

"Okay... well... I'm Joshua Newlands, I came all the way here from the UK-"

"Newlands? You're the son of James Marrs correct?"

"Yep. That's me. I was told there was an inheritance in my name, but clearly I need to find Madison-"

"No!" His head came back up from the stack of papers. "No! No need to contact my bitch of an ex..." The lawyer huffed his last part before doing an attempt to straighten his suit. "I think I have just what you need..." The man then started to rifle through his desk in an almost frantic manner.

"Look... guy, but your wife- a probably more competent lawyer- most likely took off with my fathers papers and inheritance, okay? That's fine-"

"Here!" The man slammed a metal box on top of the desk. Whatever was inside rattled loudly actually causing Ben to jump. He even felt Twigleg jump a little in his shirt pocket.

"... Maybe all the lawyers working here are all loons." Ivan whispered to Ben as he stared at the box. "Uh, forgive me but wouldn't a lawyer take a clients sensitive information with them-" Ben nudged Ivan with his stump at that.

"Does it matter?" He whispered to Ivan quickly. "We got what we came, for now, we don't have to track down his ex for it." He reminded Ivan, however, Ivan's face scrunched at this.

"Something just... I don't know..."

"Look, my wife left and wanted nothing to do with being a lawyer anymore, so she left it all to me. Okay? Oh, right. I just need your ID!"

Ivan gave Ben a look but Ben just shrugged back at him. Ivan stepped forward and dug out Josh's ID card. The man only gave a passing glance before smiling. "Yes. Yes... well. Enjoy." He pushed the box forward and Ben could only just watch as Ivan walked forward and went to open the box. Everything felt oddly tense and Ben uneasily rubbed his stump of an arm. He should dig his prosthetic out of his bag-

"It's locked." Ivan suddenly said causing Ben to focus back on him.

"Yeah... I lost the key-"

Ivan had enough, his temper now completely in the red, and he just slammed his hands down on the man's desk. "Is this all a fucking game to you!? I lost my dad and twin brother and you're telling me that the last bit of stuff I have to remind myself of them is in a locked box with no fucking key! No wonder your business is failing! You pedazo de basura absolutamente inútil!*"

Ben honestly didn't get involved until Ivan made a sudden lunge for the lawyer. "Iv-Joshua! Enough! We'll find away to open it!" Ben pulled on the back of Ivan's collar almost like he was pulling at a hyper dog on a leash. Ivan threw his hands up in the air before smoothing out his frizzled orange hair.

"Sorry, sorry... lost my temper..."

"Yeah, we all noticed..." Ben huffed in response.

Ivan then turned, snatched the metal box in his hands and let out a bitter: " hombre estúpido*." to the now cowering lawyer behind the desk. Pretty obvious as to what he said before turning and just walking out of the building. Ben could do nothing but follow. Once the door was shut behind them and Ben was sure the lawyer couldn't hear them he only snorted.

"Smooooth, Newlands, smooth."

"Whatever... I wonder if I could just pick the lock on this stupid thing..." Ivan muttered as he looked at the lock more closely. "I'm just not as good as it as you are -were-... sorry..." Ivan quickly rubbed his nose nervously. "It still just doesn't make much sense... why a box? What was my dad planning here? Crappy lawyers and a box..."

"Well, you won't know until you pick the lock," Twigleg spoke from Ben's shirt pocket as he cautiously poked his little nose out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know... blah..." Ivan's face stayed scrunched up as he observed the box. It was just a metal lock box, one a handy man would use or a cashier of sorts. Ivan brought it to his ear and rattled the contents around for a moment before just sighing in defeat. "Tell you what, we'll go back to the dragons and pick it there... away from prying eyes..." Ivan whispered his sentence. Ben didn't understand what Ivan meant by that right away, but when he followed Ivan gaze he noticed a guy on the opposite side of the road as them just leaning against the crosswalk sign. He wasn't moving, but he was watching. Ben didn't give the guy more than a glance, he only made out the noticeable features. Brown hair, tall, probably young by the looks of it.

"Yeah. Let's go..."

Ben didn't like how the sky was still just a dark ungodly black, and just before they walked towards the nearest gas station (Like hell Ivan was going to call a cab service!) to get something to drink before making back to the dragons all became an unnatural still that give Ben some serious shivers. Together they popped into the gas station and Ben felt a little better about being in a building now. It was a pretty impressive gas station Ben had to say. It seemed to be pretty big with one whole wall made just for soft drinks that people could make themselves in cups. Then there was the candy aisle that seemed to take up two aisles instead of the normal one. Two registers that were open and taking a multitude of people. "Here. Do you think you can fit that in your bag? While I go to the restroom?" Ivan asked as he handed Ben the locked box.

"I think if I take out my arm there should be room." Ben dropped to the floor and opened his bag up. Ivan sauntered off towards the restroom leaving Ben alone for a few minutes. Ben took out his fake arm and set it down on the ground. He grabbed the metal box and started to shove it in his bag the best he could. Once the stupid box was in his bag, Ben zipped it up and threw it over his shoulder. He then snatched his arm off of the ground he figured he could just put it on then and there, so he held the arm with his teeth for a few seconds while he rolled his sleeve up exposing his stump.

"Wow... he should really just do that in the bathroom. Nobody wants to see that!" He heard someone speak _very_ clearly. So, he turned to see two woman standing in an aisle watching him. Ben only rolled his eyes and decided to just ignore them as he finished hooking his fake arm up.

 _"So, do you like it?" Atticus asked Ben as he examined the fake arm hooked up to Ben. His friend seemed to be inspecting it with complete interest as he turned it every which way to get a good look at it._

 _"It's... fine. I mean... I like it, I guess it kinda hides that I don't have an arm anymore..."_

 _Atticus only chuckled softly before asking a soft "But?"_

 _"I don't know... It's not real. Of course it's not going to be real... I just... miss my actual arm... I could actually wear pants with buttons again!"_

 _Atticus only gave another soft chuckle before bringing Ben in for a hug. "Oh, Ben. I wish this would of happened to me and not you... You didn't deserve this." Ben hugged Atticus back in return._

 _"Is it bad that I wish it would have happened to someone else?" Ben's voice was muffled by Atticus's shirt. He could still remember the smell of Atticus cologne that lingered off of his shirt something generic and musky._

 _"Nah, you're human, you get to have selfish thoughts like that from time to time." Atticus placed his cheek against Ben's hair that sent shivers down Ben's spine because of just how cold Atticus was. It was still something he never got quite use to about Atticus was how cold he truly was._

 _"Hey... don't get me wrong, thank you... for buying this for me. I really do appreciate it." Ben told Atticus as he broke away from the hug finally._

 _"Of course, you're my friend. Plus, I didn't want your parents going broke because of it. I'm happy to help you and your family."_

"Earth to Ben." Snapping fingers caused Ben to jump slightly as Ivan brought him out of his trance. "You okay? You've been kinda been out of it all day."

"I'm fine... are you ready to go-"

 ** _"Attention everyone in the store. We've just been told word of a tornado touching ground just a mile away. For everyone's safety we're locking the store and ask you guys to remain away from the windows and sit against the wall farthest to the back!"_**

"A tornado!?" Ben gasped at Ivan with wide eyes. "The dragons..." He whispered and instantly made a Beeline for the doors, but Ivan was faster and pulled Ben back.

"Ben! Look!" He then turned Ben to look out the side door facing the left and... he saw it. The giant black _monster_ of a tornado that was clearly coming their way. Ben could see the debris bouncing around the tornado as it seemed to pick up anything and everything in it's path. "Puta madre*, That thing has to be an EF5! Ben get the wall!" Ivan grabbed Ben and ran to the far end of the store at the farthest wall. Ben was quick to notice that some of the people were still in the front of the store either gawking at the massive storm or even some seemed to be yelling about being locked in a gas station store.

"This is fucking bullshit!" A man seemed to scream as he was being pushed to the back of the store with Ben and Ivan. The workers, manager, and most of the other costumers seem to be doing the same.

"Hey! It's staying alive or face a tornado!" One of the workers fought back with the man.

"Tammy, behave, he's still a costumer." An obvious manager slightly scolded her. Tammy rolled her eyes before she realized Ben had seen her and she gave a fake awkward smile. Ben looked at the people who were currently sitting with at the back of this store. Angry costumer, three workers, and of course the two women from before.

"Bullshit... I have places to be you know!" The angry man hissed at all of them but absolutely nobody gave him the attention he was craving.

Ben was becoming aware of the a low humming sound. Something that reminded him of a train he would hear in Bristol from time to time. Then it hit a loud and thunderous **_BOOM!_** followed the unmistakable sound of glass breaking.

 _Murder! he killed Joshua._

Ben felt just wind push his face and body. He couldn't even think as the wind's were violent. People were screaming... or... was it him that was screaming?

 _He caused the cabinet to fall on him!_

"You're okay! You're okay!" He heard Ivan scream at him as wind and water hit him just full force as more glass is shattering and stuff is falling. All he could hear was screaming, sobbing, and metallic clangs of aisles being blown into the air and tossed around like they were nothing, and of course the sound of a train going by him at full speed that he now realized is the tornado.

"We're going to die!" Someone wailed loudly as more things around them started to fall.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Another person screamed over the roaring winds.

 _The cabinet is fallen. Josh is dead. Nothing is ever going to be the same. Nothing will ever be the same!_

Hail is falling now and it's cold, leaving bruises on Ben's skin as it constantly pounds against him and Ivan. More glass seemed to breathing, Ben felt his skin start to sting in places that weren't getting hit by rocks. It just kept pounding against him harder and harder and it didn't want to stop. More and more came. Another loud unmistakable metallic **_CLANG!_** Rang out something nasty.

 _Murderer... a dirty nasty murderer that's all he'll ever be._

"Ben!" Ivan had Ben by the face now, both hands cupping Ben's cheeks firmly as he was looking at Ben with a worried look. Ben no longer heard the loud freight train but he could hear what was unmistakably an air raid siren off in the distance. Yet, still everything seemed oddly peaceful and quiet... well... aside from the crying workers and costumers next to him.

"Is it over?" Ben asked in almost a whisper as his whole body shook horribly. Just looking at the once decent sized gas station made Ben's whole body shake even more. Every single window was shattered. Glass strewn all over the store's floor with every single metal aisle laying on the floor, treats, snacks, and misc items on the floor with the glass, rocks, and hail, but the most frightening of all was the light post that had been torn down and was now on the floor that had just missed them all by a few centimeters. "Twig-" Ben poked into his shirt pocket. Twigleg gave him a shaky thumbs up showing Ben that's he's alive and somewhat okay.

Ivan gently pulled Ben up to his feet. Both of them were shaken by this, and it honestly made Ben, even more, unnerved seeing Ivan just as unnerved as he was! "Wh-What do we do now?" Ben questioned breathlessly before swallowing hard. "I mean... that... thing! it still has to be out there! How long do we wait for?! What do we do!? Where do we go!?" Ben was full blown screaming as his mind was just blank with pure panic.

"Calm down-" Ivan put his hands on Ben's shoulders but Ben jerked out of Ivan's grip in an instant.

"-Don't tell me to calm down! Not now!" Ben grabbed a hold of his hair and started to breath more ragged and heavy as he slowly sank to his knees. "Oh, god!" Ben was now aware of something awful. He was having a panic attack and there was nothing he could do that could stop it now. Tearing up he covered his face with his one hand and let out a low sob.

"Wow... what a pussy." The angry costumer muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hey, asshole. Get fucked why don't you!" Ivan shot back in retaliation. As he stormed up to the man and poked him in the chest and in a very mocking matter Ivan, with no self control at this point, started to openly mock the man. "Oh! Look at me I'm such a strong macho man that I make fun of people after they survived a life-threatening twister and then proceed to break down because of how traumatic it actually was! You're so brave then hop into your ford and fuck off because I, and _everyone else_ right don't want to hear it!" Ivan screamed at him.

"The dragons!" Ben didn't even bother to cover up the secret as he remembered that the dragons might have been hit just like they've been. He didn't even wait for Ivan. No, he jumped through the broken doorframe and was already sprinting down the street.

("He means our lizards... well bye!" was Ivan's lame excuse to everyone still in the gas station)

"Ben! Hold up! The tornado could come back!" Ivan's voice seem to just echo through the barren abandoned land as it was deadly quiet after a tornado.

Ben didn't care though, he needed to see the dragons, he needed to see that they were okay! "Young master, I'm incline to agree with Ivan on this! The tornado could spin back around-"

"I don't care! I need to make sure Firedrake, Sorrel, and Issiah are okay, Twigleg! If something happened to them _again_ because of me I couldn't live with myself!" Ben firmly spoke as he just continued to bolt towards where he last saw everyone. At that moment Ben felt more alive than he has in the last year and a half as the adrenaline coursed through his veins with every heavy step me made.

Their hiding area of trees was completely upturned. Almost every tree was knocked over making Ben wonder if this was were the tornado first landed. He didn't have too long to think as he finally slowed down allowing Ivan to catch up with him in only a matter of seconds. The only reason Ben actually slowed down was because, well, it was so painfully obvious that it not only made him slow down, but made him stop and just fall to his knees completely crestfallen. "They're gone!" was the most horrifying cry Ben ever made.

 ** _pedazo de basura absolutamente inútil=_** Absolutely worthless piece of shit.

 ** _Hombre Estupido=_** Stupid Man

 _ **Puta Madre=** Holy shit._


	5. Chapter 5

_Issiah wasn't stupid dammit! He noticed it the very first day he saw Ivan with Ben. The way Ben would look back at Ivan (who often wasn't looking), a little twinkle seemed to spark in Ben's blue eyes and his lips would curl into just the tiniest smile before he would look away from Ivan. Issiah wanted to ignore it the first couple of times it happened, but Ben would just... constantly do it! It annoyed Issiah to no end. "But fine. Let him have this, what do I care?" He would constantly say to himself as he'd watch Ben turn and watch Ivan. Then... Ivan did it for the first time... Ben hadn't even noticed, no, Ben was too busy focusing on the map before him when Ivan turned. Issiah could see it clear as day that same little sparkle in his eyes followed by that tiny little smile. That damn smile._

 _And It was at that moment that Issiah decided that he hated Benjamin. It was different now. It obviously wasn't one-sided affection anymore, and... it hurt. Issiah didn't know why, but it physically hurt him to see Ivan look at Ben with that same twinkle in his eye, not once did Ivan have that little twinkle or spark when he looked at Issiah… so why was Ben so special?_

 _In fact the more he bathed on it, and the more it soaked in for him, the more Issiah hated Ben. It wasn't just because Ivan now reciprocated Ben's feelings (subconsciously it seemed) but because he just couldn't get away from Ben! In the Rim when he stayed with Firedrake and the others all he got were questions about Ben's well being, nobody cared about his rider! Nobody! Not one dragon, brownie, or even dwarf even asked about Ivan and... it hurt... and it burned. It just ignited a fire in his belly to see Ben make little movements towards Ivan to show his affection, like sweeping his hand threw Ivan's hair to 'straighten it up' just little sickeningly sweet things like that. Why should Issiah have to share Ivan with Ben? It shouldn't be like that, and Issiah wasn't going to let that happen, because after this trip was over he was taking Ivan and the two of them were going to go adventuring together. Alone. As far away from Benjamin as possible! After all... why should he share Ivan with someone who lost their own arm?_

* * *

Ben lightly poked Twigleg in the stomach, it was an obvious 'I'm depressed give me some attention.' sort of poke. The problem was that, because of where they were, Twigleg could only give Ben just a little bit of attention. They were in held up in a gas station for the time being. Once Ivan got Ben to calm down and think of the more reasonable "They left because of the storm." and not of the more horrifying "These two giant beasts were stolen by someone" he agreed to sit at the gas station for a couple of hours. Thankfully it wasn't the gas station from before. No, this gas station was behind the storm so it didn't get hit. The good news was that it did actually have power from a generator so the cash registers were operational. The bad news (more for the poor workers than them) was that some customers couldn't get gas because the pumps weren't covered by the generator. So, a lot of yelling from outraged costumers could be heard. It was honestly giving Ben a bit of a headache. Thankfully this gas station had a small seating area. Just a couple of tables and chairs with a TV hanging on the wall, and the only reason Ben allowed Twigleg to be out was because he could easily lie and say he was a toy or something along those lines...

Ivan was choking! Loud coughs and gags leaving his mouth, his chair suddenly being knocked down as he rushed to his feet in a hurry. Ben was quick to rush over to Ivan and, with one powerful hit to the center between Ivan's shoulders, got Ivan to spit out the over half a twinkie that was lodged in his throat onto the floor. "Ga- God!" Ivan gasped for a moment several loud, heavy, and strained breaths now leaving his mouth. "Thanks..."

"Chew your food, you chav!" Ben hissed at Ivan before placing his hand on his chest in a worried manner.

"I was hungry, okay..." Ivan responded back his hands up in the air in a defensive stance. "OW- _Maldita_ *!" Ivan was met with an angry slap to the head this time.

"Chew your food!"

"Do you really need to be reminded to _chew?_ " Twigleg incredulously asked from the table he was currently sitting on. Ben gave a quick look around to make sure nobody saw him talk, thankfully almost all of the customers were at the registers yelling at the workers for gas.

"I'm nervous, okay!" Ivan picked up another twinkie that was in front of him. He went to open it, but Ben simply put his hand over the treat and just slowly pushed Ivan's hand down.

"Don't!"

Ivan snorted in response, but respected Ben's obvious (non) request and put the twinkie on the table. Ben looked at Ivan's plethora of treats, cakes, and candies on the small table. Honestly, Ben couldn't remember the last time Ivan surrounded himself with treats like this. He must really be nervous... _One zebra cake, one Twinkie… and another half swallowed twinkie on the floor, two king-sized Reese's cups, a king-sized Heath bar, and one slim jim... the bloody hell is a slim jim?'_ Ben raised an eyebrow as he grabbed the slim jim to inspect it. It appeared to be some sort of... meat product?

"Oh! I missed those so much! Have you ever had a _Slim Jim_ before?" Ivan excitedly questioned.

"Uh... no. It looks... greasy."

"It is."

"God, even your snacks are nothing but grease."

"Oh, stop being a wank! Here-" The _Slim Jim_ was taken from Ben's hand and Ivan eagerly opened it.

It just peeled open so easily. _a meat product should not open like that...'_ Ben thought. Yep, still, a long, thin, cylinder meat tube thing as Ivan pulled it out of the packaging. He then snapped it in half like it was nothing and handed the half to Ben. Ben could just _feel_ the grease from this product spread all over his fingers as he held it. Ben quickly shot a look around to make sure nobody was watching him before he snapped a little bit off of his and slid it quietly to Twigleg. "Just face the wall." He whispered to Twigleg. If he was facing the wall then his back was turned to the public and nobody would see him from afar. Once Twigleg had done just that Ben looked back at Ivan. Yep. His half was already gone, in fact, he was licking the grease off of his fingers now.

Ben only sucked in a deep breath before finally biting into the meat stick. It literally 'snapped' in his mouth and just an explosion of grease just covered his whole tongue and instantly Ben's gag reflex took over. "Nope!" He didn't even get a second bite in. He went straight to the trashcan and spat it out.

"Weeeeak!" Ivan mocked. Ben just stuck his tongue out in response to Ivan.

"It's horrible! Right Twigleg?" Ben was certain Twigleg would back him on this.

"... Actually-"

"Twigleg!" Ben gasped loudly in play shock.

"I mean... compared to the flies I eat it's not bad..."

Ben snorted, "Well, I don't like it. It's just grease."

"Ah, you brits..." Ivan gave a snort before he crossed one leg over the other. "I'll chan-" Ivan made a sudden face before turning towards the table that Twigleg was at. Next to Twigleg's left was Ben's cellphone that was currently going off. Before Ben could get to it, Ivan snatched it up. "Hey!"

"Ivan-"

Ivan flipped the phone open and answered in probably the most obnoxious way that made Ben just cringe. "Yo, Dickless! It's been a while since you called-"

"-Ivan! Give me that!" Ben made a lunge for the phone as quickly as possible but Ivan managed to keep Ben away by just pushing back on Ben's ribs.

"-Oh wow... do you kiss your undead mother with that mouth?"

Ben felt his jaw drop at that question and instantly made another lunge for the phone. "Stop being an arse!" Ben then grabbed Ivan by the ear making him stop in almost an instant. Ben then snatched the phone out of Ivan's hand. "Answer my phone- Hey, Atti."

"I see he hasn't changed one bit." Atticus responded with a deep resounded sigh, Ben could just hear the headshake from the other end.

"Yeah-" Ben went quiet when he heard talking on Atticus's side. He couldn't hear what was said, but whatever it was didn't make Atticus any happier as another sigh just sounded.

"-Yeah, I'll be there in a moment- Hey, Ben. Just honestly wanted to call to say that Sofi either has a cold or has hit puberty because she's been getting sick... like... _deadly_ sick."

"Oh, that's means-"

"Yep! I no longer need to cook! Just straight hunting form here on! Haha!"

"Uh-... yeah..."

"Hey, you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine!"

"Righhht… so, anyway. I was thinking, it's been a while since we hung out, or really talked... Maybe you'd like to come to Ireland and see everyone again. I know Zen is curious about you. I mean assuming you aren't afraid of him anymore. He really has changed for the better, you know."

"Yeah?" It felt like pulling teeth and just felt like pulling teeth and Atticus easily picked this up.

"... are you sure you're okay?"

"Yep! Gotta go!" Then Ben hung up, no goodbye, nothing.

"What was _that_?" Ivan asked from his seat. He was leaned back casually against his chair, his legs in the classic 'four' position. "Now, I've seen you talk to Atticus before and it never sounded like that before, I mean you practically tell him everything!..." And it just seems to click with Ivan as his eyes went wide and he pointed accusingly at Ben. "You never told him that you went to America with me!"

"If he knew he'd want to come, okay? I just... Do you have any clues how many times he left his children behind to save my arse? I didn't want to take that from him this time around..." Ben admitted before setting his phone down on the table next to Twigleg and sitting down.

"Hm..." Ivan hummed softly in thought for a few heartbeats before grabbing a treat an starting to eat. "It's probably for the best. Because let's face it-" Ivan took a big bite and, in typical fashion, continued to talk with his mouthful. "- me and Atticus don't exactly get along."

"Maybe that's because you constantly call him 'dickless' and bring up his 'undead mother'? But I could just be guessing about that."

The two of them chuckled at one another for just a moment. It was honestly a nice moment that made Ben almost forget about his ever-growing anxiety about the situation him and were currently in. It was a moment that was completely ruined when an obvious store manager placed his hand on Ivan's shoulder. "You do plan on paying for all this food, I hope?" He asked in a professional but stern tone.

"Uh, yeah! Of course... Ben?"

Ben gave a sigh as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Once out he opened it and looked at his bills. American money was so different from the currency he used to. In England, all he had to do was see the color and he knew what it was, but here... all the money is green! Just an ugly green and he can't tell the difference. So, here he was digging through just trying to find a tenner to cover for Ivan. Finally, after what felt like an unnecessarily long time, he pulled the tenner out and handed it to the man. Ben got an eyebrow raise in response. "Yeah... collect the stuff you go so we can ring you up." The man turned to Ivan in response. Ivan took the tenner from Ben's hand and started to collect the open wrappers on his table. Then he left, leaving Ben with Twigleg. Ben would want nothing more than to talk to Twigleg, but it appears it wasn't going to be that easy (nothing ever was easy anymore) as a man decided to sit right behind Ben's table, making Twigleg freeze in place so he looked like a doll of some sort, So, here he was, alone, with only his thoughts.

 _'Now you_ know _that Firedrake and the others aren't going to be back there when you go and check. Something happened while you were gone...'_ _ The dark part of his mind whispered into his ears making him shiver uncomfortably. Ben just needed to take his mind off of his thoughts something that was easier said than done nowadays. Ben first looked around the store, but there was nothing of interest. Just t-shirts, jackets, and screwdrivers... So, he looked up at the wall in front of him where the silent TV was. The TV was on and playing the news (The hot topic, of course, being the ungodly tornado that tore through the city of Peoria not even five hours ago.) The subtitles were moving and Ben almost didn't even bother looking and turned away just as some sort of screenshot popped on the TV that made him do a complete double take. Slowly Ben lifted himself off of his seat to get a closer look at the picture and subtitles to make sure he was absolutely seeing this right.

 ** _"-Woodrow Hale was found dead, amongst others in the wreckage of the tornado,_ _however_ _, investigators have reasons to believe that it was not the tornado that caused his death, but it appears to be a homicide as two armed men were found dead with him. Police also have reasons to believe that whoever these men were, they might have been looking for something.- more_** ** _later this afternoon."_**

The picture was the obvious run down building that he and Ivan were at earlier. Ben turned to Twigleg, who had the same expression on his face. At that moment the locked box in Ben's back weighed a million times heavier than before.

"Hey, you're blocking the TV." The man behind Ben gave a sigh of irritation. By the time Ben finally sat back down in his seat he was shaking.

"-Can you believe they charged me for the Twinkie I choked on?! I damn well died- what's wrong?" Ivan noticed Ben's pale face and shaking frame. Several deep breaths left Ben's mouth before he looked up at Ivan with wide eyes. A burning pain started to erupt from his stump making him grasp on to it. "Oh, damn, again?" Ben wanted so badly to say something to Ivan about what he saw on the TV but the damn pain in his stump was almost making it damn well impossible to get any sort of words out of his mouth that weren't gasps or groans of intense pain. Ivan's mode flipped instantly, he wrapped an arm around Ben's shoulder and held him in close, allowing Ben to rest his head on Ivan's shoulder, and Ivan gently patted Ben's head. Something kinda confusing to Ben has Ivan continued to do it, but he didn't complain. Still, once his pain slowly subsided enough he made sure to whisper to Ivan:

"...We have to leave as soon as possible, because it's not over..."

* * *

"We are lost! You fungus for brains!" Sorrel roared to Issiah. The blue dragon's ears flat back against his head in annoyance. The rain seemed to be increasing with each passing second, soaking all three of them.

"You know what! I might be! But I'm not the one who lead us here in the first place, now am I, Sorrel!?" Issiah challenged almost instantly. He actually got right into the brownie's face making her take a startled step back in freight.

"No, I am! and If you have any issues you bring it up to me! I will not have you constantly disrespect Sorrel!" Firedrake snarled making his snout touch Issiah's while his lips were curled up still. Issiah's moved his head back away from Firedrake's a sneer now on his lips, showing his fangs to the other dragon.

"Maybe we should settle this like dragons of the other times? Eh?" Issiah challenged once again. The lighting flashed and the thunder rolled above them as the rain continuously poured from the sky almost endlessly. "C'mon. you're so brave. Fight me."

"No. Issiah, I do not solve my problems with fights! and neither should you."

"Don't tell me what to do! I am not one of you! I do what I want!" Issiah fought angerly. God, was he tired of just everyone telling him what he could and couldn't do these past few years. He hated it, he hated every minute of it with every fiber of his being!

"If you don't like it, then why don't you just _l_ _eave_ then!" Sorrel spat at him in her own rage. Oh, how he wanted to, he wanted nothing more than to leave these two in the dust and just leave, but he wouldn't. Not yet anyway.

"-I plan on it! Once I reunite with Ivan, I'm gone! We'll both be gone!"

"Good!" Sorrel hissed. "I don't care for either of you! The farther away the both of you are the better!"

"Sorrel, do not speak ill of Ivan, after all, he did help us." Firedrake spoke firmly to her. Firedrake's ears perked when he heard Issiah mumble _something_ and instantly he felt a fire light in his stomach as he was sure what was said, but he didn't dare make the assumption just yet, however; that didn't stop him from speaking to Issiah in a very dangerous tone. "What was that, Issiah?"

"... Nothing... forget it..." Another lighting flash this time accompanied by a loud boom of thunder that would wake any sleeping creatures for miles. "Look... we're lost and tired, okay? Lets just... rest up for the time being. I know our riders are probably worried sick about us, but I don't think there's anyway we can get to them. Not now in this awful rain..."

Sorrel looked at Firedrake, Issiah could see from her face alone that she was fully against this plan, but it seemed that just for once that Firedrake was on his side for this one as he seemed to relax. "... I agree, Sorrel... you can rest under me for the time being and we'll get our baring's settled when we wake."

"First the ocean now the rain! You know, I knew that going to this... _America_ was just an awful idea..." She mumbled pitifully. Slyly she went under Firedrake's body to shelter herself from the heavy rains. "When I see Ben again I'm giving him a piece of my mind! I mean it! I'm not going soft on him just because he lost a limb!"

"I wouldn't expect it any other way, Sorrel." Firedrake chortled at her, curling up into a ball, making sure that Sorrel was warm, and laying his head down on the ground, Firedrake cracked one eye open at Issiah. The bright blue dragon also on the ground, but he was more sprawled out than Firedrake dared to be at the moment. His back was to Firedrake and his ears were still flattened in heavy annoyance. ' _Just why do you dislike us so much, Issiah?'_

* * *

"So... what's next..." Ivan could only ask as he sat on a fallen down tree. The sap still fresh and clinging to his pants causing him to give a face of disgust in response as he pulled his sticky hand up from the tree. The day had finally risen up over them and the small section of forest that their dragons had claimed for the day still remained abandoned. Ben had Twigleg on his shoulder while he rested his back against another fallen tree. Ben only shook his head slowly from side to side. After the news of what happened to Woodrow, they decided to sit and wait for the dragons so not to waste anymore time. So they waited.

and waited.

and waited.

and waited.

Nothing. It was day time now. "Are you sure they're after what's in the lock box?" Ivan inquired with an eyebrow raise.

"They've gotta be right? I mean we get the box and suddenly the lawyer gets the ax?" Ben spoke slowly with a shrug of his shoulders. "It seems a little weird.

"Yeah, but the guy was... Stupid! The guy was just stupid! He lost everything, including the key to the damn lockbox!"

Twigleg honestly didn't know why what he said next, but at the moment it just felt like the right thing to say. "Maybe he didn't lose the key?" Slowly the wheels in his head were starting to turn as he was putting he pieces together.

"Twiggy, he flat out admitted to losing it-" Ivan tried to argue, but it was like the final puzzle clicked into place and Twigleg stood proudly on Ben's shoulders.

"He didn't! I mean, yes! He did admit to it, but he didn't lose it! He lied! _Madison_ is your father's lawyer, not him, So what if... he _stole_ the box to spite her for leaving him?"

"Meaning... Madison Hale should have the key!" Ivan jumped to his feet in excitement, but Ben didn't exactly share the same feelings. "If we find her and get the key, we could open that stupid box and see just what's in there-"

"Ivan... we don't know where she is, and we still have two missing dragons on our hands." Ben broke the news to him.

"Good point! God! There's so much to do and worry about!" Ivan then ran his fingers through his hair. He paced around for a bit before looking at Twigleg and Ben respectfully. "Okay... suggestions, anyone?"

"Yeah, I got one. I'm tired..." Ben finally stood up, careful not to drop Twigleg in the process. It was the magical word was spoken because very quickly after he admitted his exhaustion both Ivan and Twigleg both started to look equally exhausted. "It's clear they aren't coming back today. I say, we find someplace to sleep and rest our minds and then we look at this when night comes again and hopefully the dragons will be here by that time."

"Yeah... I agree... do you have money for another night at the motel?"

Ben pulled out his wallet and counted the little money he had left before slapping it shut. "No, not even enough for a single bedroom." Ben rubbed his tired eyes and just looked at Ivan's, rather, forlorn face at that.

"Then, where do we sleep now? Normally if this happened we normally slept in my car..." Ivan just seemed a little lost, it was honestly a little surprising to Ben to see him like this.

"Well... we could sleep here." Suggested Twigleg.

The air was humid and hot in those early hours, and it seemed that it was not only going to get hotter as the day went on, but that the local mosquito's weren't going to quit for a good while. The insects were already annoying and Ben was sure he wasn't going to get any sleep outside and it seem that Ivan silently agreed with him on that as they both made a face at that suggestion. So, that left the final suggestion to Ben and Ben alone. "Well then... Ivan, you lived here before. Where's a good place to go urban exploring?"


	6. Chapter 6

Ben was honestly starting to feel a little dead on his feet as he and Ivan continued to walk hurriedly. It had to be later in the day now, probably about noon or so, and dark clouds were starting to close in on them. "Don't tell me another Tornado is coming in," Ben commented at the clouds.

"Nah, I doubt it really, but if you don't want to get wet I suggest we hurry up," Ivan responded back. He put a hand on Ben's back in an attempt to urge him to move a little more faster.

"Oi. I'm movin' keep your knickers on," Ben huffed at Ivan once he caught on to what his friend was doing. "It's not like we haven't been rained on before."

"Yeah, well I'd like to be dry when I fall asleep, I don't know about you."

"Well, if it comes to it we can just let out clothes dry while we sleep."

"Sleep nude on a hard concrete floor most likely covered in glass, dust, and rusted nails? Barmy!"

"One: Not nude. Two: Am I rubbing off on you Newlands? I've noticed you started saying a few British things."

"Posh." Ivan had actually gotten closer to Ben on that one. A bit of a playful smirk on his face.

"Are we going to move any time soon?" Twigleg spoke rather uninterested from Ben's shirt pocket. It was then that the two had realized that they stopped moving.

"Right. Of course." Ben responded quickly started walking down the sidewalk. "We're almost there right?" Ben changed the subject once he noticed the more run-down buildings. The neighborhood they were in clearly wasn't a nice one that made Ben feel a little uneasy.

"Yeah, I think it's just around the corner." Ivan jogged to keep up with Ben as Ben was clearly eager to get some rest. So, the two of them turned the corner and Ben stopped very quickly. It was like a force just made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Ivan? What the hell is that?" Ben asked.

The building he was looking at was at least two stories high with a rough jagged brick exterior. It clearly hasn't been touched in years as the buildings many windows were either broken or boarded up. Ben noticed that the front metal double doors, that were probably once a bright blue now broken off of their hinges with the blue paint flaked off showing a rusted metal hazard underneath. The whole building had a clear "I'm very haunted" feel to it. The roof was flat telling Ben that it was an actual somewhat modern building that made him wonder why it was shut-down like this. He could see ivy making its way up the side of the building and nestling it's way up into one of the windows. Something that made Ben just shutter was the obvious ravens resting in one of the broken and cracked windows.

"A high school."

"A school?"

"Yep. Been abandoned. I heard rumors that they were going to rebuild it and fix it up, but the never did... C'mon. It's the safest place we got to go on..." Ivan started to urge Ben forward again but in a surprise, he stopped dead in his tracks making Ben stop in return.

"What's wrong?" Twigleg was the one to ask. Ivan blinked a little dazed before looking back over at them.

"... You see that house over there." Ivan pointed forward and Ben followed where he was pointing to see on the corner about a full block away was a tiny house. Only one story. The house was red in color with a white front door. It seemed to be made out of red brick if Ben was correct.

"Yeah?"

"I use to live there. Me, Josh, and mom. It was just the three of us for... until I and Josh turned... I don't know... god, it's been so long. I actually forgot I didn't always live with that manic..." Ivan suddenly grabbed ahold of his face just above his right eye and recoiled back a little.

"Whoa! Hey!" Ben quickly rushed to grab Ivan as Ivan slowly sat down on the sidewalk. Ben got down on his knees so he was next to Ivan. Ivan was breathing a little heavier now before he started to actually laugh.

"I remember we didn't always have food..." Ivan chuckled in a breathy voice. "It's probably why I eat the way I do now... there were times when the only thing my mom had to give was toast. The only reason it was toast was that the bread was slightly stale..." Ivan squeezed his eyes tight before giving his head a good shake.

"Ivan.. I think that's the most I ever heard you talk about your past before... but what do you mean you didn't always live with James, he wasn't always in your life?"

"No... My mom had to... my mom had to _beg_ him to take us!" Ivan's voice changed for the drastic as it was dripping in venom with each word he said. "She didn't want us to starve, she couldn't care for us, she was a Columbian woman working at Mcdonalds with two twin boys to raise! She knew she couldn't raise us!... I... I wonder if she still lives there..."

"We could-"

"No!" Ivan shot it down before it could leave Ben's mouth. "No! We aren't... Let's just stick to the original plan..."

"What was her name?"

"My mom?"

"Yeah."

"Sherri Newlands."

After that Ivan made it clear that he really didn't want to talk anymore. He jumped to his feet and practically ran over towards the school. Ben got up to his feet too but didn't rush as fast instead he just looked at Twigleg. "What was that exactly?"

"Repressed memories coming to the surface? Probably triggered by seeing his old home again." Twigleg offered with a shrug. "Growing up poor is something someone would often repress."

"I grew up homeless and I didn't repress that."

"It's not the same, he was younger then, probably way younger than you-"

"-Stop talking about me."

"Bah!"

Ivan managed to get back over to them and stood right in front of Ben. Startling both Ben and Twigleg. "We weren't-" Ben tried to laugh it off but Ivan was obviously smarter than he let out with an angry snort leaving his nose.

"You _were_. Stop it. Let's just get some sleep okay? I don't want to hear any more of it... I shouldn't have mentioned anything anyway..." Ivan turned his head away in slight anger. Ben instantly felt a pang of guilt hit him square in the chest at this.

"I didn't mean to upset you-"

"Well-... forget it! Just forget it! Stop talking about it! That's all I want!" Ivan snapped before turning sharply away from Ben and walking up to the school. Ben let out a sigh and followed Ivan. Neither he nor Twigleg spoke as they caught up with Ivan. Even though it was bright out, aside from the clouds, the school gave off an eerie cold feeling to it as Ivan stepped inside it first. Ben followed suit. The building had an older musty smell to it: probably mold. The hallway was cramped with open lockers, broken pieces of ceiling tiles, and animal droppings. Ivan simply kicked the ceiling tiles away from him with each step making loud echoing clatters all around them.

"Excuse me? Are you trying to alert people that we are in here?" Ben finally asked as one of the broken ceiling tiles he had kicked with flying into locker making a particularly loud _BANG!_ that bellowed so loudly that it caused one of the raves to go flying off into the daytime.

"Actually, I am!" Ivan spoke in a more matter-of-fact tone that honestly just pissed Ben off to no end to hear it. "I'm scaring off any homeless people."

If Ben had two arms he would have crossed them in frustration by this point. "Excuse me?" Ben asked as he stopped walking by this point. "Don't they have a right to sleep here as we do?"

"It's not that Ben. You have a good chance of getting stabbed by American homeless people."

"Ah, so your brilliant idea here is to startle all the stabby homeless people and make them rush at us at once?" Ben asked in a fake cheery voice. "Bloody brilliant..." He dropped the cheeriness and rolled his eyes. He heard Ivan sigh this time.

"Ben... just don't start. Okay?" Ivan put a hand out in a motion that told Ben to stop. Ben honestly wanted to argue some more a part of him, a very petty part of him, wanted a fight with Ivan right now. He didn't know why, but he wanted one. However; what stopped him was Twigleg crawling up his arm and just sorta pulling Ben back away from his pettiness. Ben looked over towards his left to see a flight of stairs.

"Fine... I'll explore the upstairs then." Ben huffed and without waiting for Ivan to reply he was gone. He could hear very angry and loud bangs resounding through the whole school now. Ben didn't really care.

"Are you sure we should leave him? He could be right about the... you know... stabby homeless people." Twigleg questioned Ben's decision to just leave Ivan alone.

"Let him get his get anger out, then we'll talk again." Ben shrugged in response. "I don't want to be around him when he's like that. You know how he gets... let him brush off his anger and he'll come back apologizing." Ben made his way up the stairs and he was greeted with a darker more eerie version of the downstairs. Ben kinda wished he would have brought a flashlight as it was a little too dark for his liking. Hearing several squeaks Ben instantly noticed a family of rats. Ben's eyes went wide with excitement. "Hey, are you guys related to Greytails? Because I could use some serious-" The rats scattered once he got close enough. "-I guess not... no, that would make it too easy, wouldn't it?" Ben huffed before looking over at Twigleg. Twigleg had a frown on his face before just shrugging back at Ben.

Ben suddenly stopped at an obvious noise coming from behind him, a slow grin appeared on his face before he shook his head. _'That didn't take long'_ he thought. "See Twigleg? He's-" Ben spun around to greet someone who obviously wasn't Ivan. No, Ben was greeted by... somebody... Ben couldn't make heads or tails of this person. As this person had muscular features like a guy but was currently wearing make-up, like fresh make-up. They had brown hair that was... long. Like... wow, when was the last time they had a haircut long. It was put up into a ponytail thankfully keeping it from dragging on the floor. Ben noticed that this person was practically skin and bone as well. This person looked unhealthy. Their skin a horrid gray that made Ben wonder if this was another vampire, but the person smiled at Ben showing that they were not that. This person also seemed to be maybe a year or two older than Ben. This person also had on a pink button-up shirt, and a pink skirt with a red rose embedded right on the thigh that stopped above the knee. Ben noticed the black ballet flats on their feet.

"Hello. My name is Esmeralda, it's nice to meet you." That was a very deep voice to come out of that mouth, but Ben knew better than to judge.

"Benjamin Greenbloom…" Ben greeted as he brought his hand out for Esmeralda to shake. Which he (she?) happily took. "Uh... he or she?" Ben embarrassingly asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"uh...She?" Esmeralda responded simply as she walked forward away from Ben now. She had her fingertips touching as she now walked forward. "I heard you talking to the rats," She said in a more matter of fact voice. she then leaned down and actually managed to pick a rat up. A big fat brown and white one with a fatter pink tail than most rats. "I should let you know that these rats don't like most humans. They make an exception however because I bring them food."

 _'Don't kill me and feed me to the rats please...'_ _Ben thought extremely nervously as he watched Esmeralda pet the rat like a loving pet.

"You claim to be looking for a Greytail?"

"Uh- yeah, anybody related to the Greytails would be great! Trust me."

"I'll see what I can do. I am the only one they like to talk to after all."

"That would be superb!"

"How many years did it take you to make that homunculus on your shoulder?" Esmeralda asked out of the blue almost throwing Ben for a complete loop as he took a step back. Of course, Twigleg had been on Ben's shoulder this whole time, but the fact that she knew just what Twigleg was...

"Oh, no he didn't make me. And how rude of me! I'm Twigleg. A pleasure to meet you." Twigleg tried to laugh it off but Ben could hear the nervousness in his voice. "He is my master and I love him dearly, but he didn't make me."

"Interesting." Esmeralda gave Ben a weird side look before suddenly cringing something nasty at another obnoxious loud _BANG_ coming from downstairs. "Tell that jackass downstairs to stop that racket! He's disturbing everything!" She hissed with clenched teeth.

"Oh-Okay! Will do..." Ben quickly turned tail and hurried down the steps. "Do we trust her?" Ben asked Twigleg breathlessly with every step he took.

"She knows about homunculi, and it seems like she knows a lot about the mythical world."

"-And it seems like she's been living here for some time-"

"-Who?" By the time Ben had made it to the bottom of the stairs, Ivan was about ready to make his way up. Ivan looked back and forth between the two of them. "You found a stabby homeless person, didn't you? See-"

"-No... not stabby… she... Ivan, you have to see this for yourself..." Ben was breathless as he actually had a smile grin on his face. Ben didn't even wait for Ivan to respond for himself, he grabbed Ivan's hand and lead him up the steps as quickly as possible. Esmeralda was still in the same hallway, her back turned to them. Ben could see her hand moving like she was petting something, he figured it was just another rat.

"Hey, Esmeralda? I got him to stop... this is Ivan, my friend." Ben introduced the two. Ivan's eyes narrowed a bit at this. Esmeralda still hasn't turned back around to face them, not yet anyway.

"Look. Esme, we don't want any trouble okay? We just want a place to rest for the day-" Esmeralda spun around real fast and Ben felt his breath get hitched in his throat at what he was seeing. Twigleg let out a very loud and audible gasp at it as well. "Heh... woulda look at that.." Ivan chuckled just a tad nervously as well.

In Esmeralda's hand was an obvious homunculus. This one a female. This homunculus seemed to be taller than Twigleg, just by an inch or inch and a half. Like Esmeralda, she had long bright pink hair that was put up into a firm little round bun on the top of her head. She had big red eyes and a small nose. She was clearly wearing... Cinderella's dress? Yeah, there was no denying it that was a Barbie Cinderella dress. Ben really couldn't see if this homunculus was wearing shoes or not. Esmeralda gave a big grin at them.

"Oh, you're all just in time. This is Rosa. My friend that I made."


	7. Chapter 7

At first, there was stunned silence. Nobody knew just what to say at this stunning turn of events. Ben stood on edge a little, this was just a little too surreal for him at the moment. Ivan seemed to be thinking the same thing as he too looked on edge, but Ben could tell it was for a different reason than him. Esmeralda just looked confused at the trio's sudden tense nature, while Rosa was looking directly at Twigleg a spark of interest in her eyes. Finally, it was Twigleg who broke the silence as he excitedly patted the side of Ben's face. "I... I want to be closer... can we get closer?" He practically begged to Ben. Ben couldn't think of a reason not to and Esmeralda seemed trustworthy. So, Ben took a few steps forward and allowed Twigleg on the palm of his hand before outstretching him to get a closer look at Rosa.

Esmeralda moved Rosa closer to Twigleg, almost causing the poor thing to lose her balance in the process as she dropped to knees on Esmeralda's palm. "Sorry." Esmeralda apologized pretty quickly to her friend.

"s'okay," Rosa responded before getting up to her feet once again. For a moment neither homunculus seemed to know just what to do as they stood there looking at each other. Until finally Twigleg bright his tiny hand up and Rosa followed suit. It was like that moment in _Tarzan_ where Tarzan first realizes there are other species like him, that moment where Tarzan and Jane touch hands. Rosa and Twigleg touched each other's hands (both of their hands instead of just one) then it was Twigleg that closed his fingers in making Rosa do the same so they were holding hands for just a moment.

" _Interesante._ " Ivan breathed out in Spanish before tapping his chin in thought.

"I've always wondered if I was alone, the last homunculus, but... I'm not! Not anymore anyway..." Twigleg squeaked in excitement. Rosa didn't reply right away but she did let go of Twigleg's hands. She then touched the tip of her fingers together in, what seemed to be, though.

"I... do.. not... understand," Rosa spoke slowly like she was trying to speak a new language and that alone made Ben realize that she was not as smart or educated as Twigleg. Something that kinda made Ben realize that not all homunculi are super smart and know everything.

"Rosa isn't that old, you see." Esmeralda jumped in very quickly. "She's only a month old at the latest."

"So, you actually- honest to god- made her?" Ben question not even trying to hide the disbelief in his voice.

"Yes. I was lonely... therefore I made my own friend." Esmeralda responded to Ben like it was the simplest thing in the whole world.

"... I can see that she speaks... but-"

"I'm teaching her the best I can-" Esmeralda tried to defend herself and Rosa but Twigleg cut Esmeralda off.

"-Uh, she's deaf."

"What!?" All three of them asked at once.

"Yeah, it's actually pretty obvious. She's looking at my mouth when I speak. She's trying to read my lips. Now, I don't think she's all the way deaf by the fact that she can understand and communicate words to the best of her abilities, also her speech is very... rugged? Is that the right word? I don't know, but when she said she didn't understand it clicked..."

Esmeralda looked almost completely crushed by this news. "I... I had no idea..." She whispered uneasily as she then grasped the sides of her skirt tightly. "Of course... Rosa is my first and only success I knew she wasn't going to be perfect..."

"You know. I could probably teach her sign language-"

Ben pulled Twigleg back. "Whoa, Twigleg that'd take time. Something we don't have right now..." Ben reminded him. "I know you want to help Rosa. I want to help her and Esmeralda too, but Twigleg we still have to find Firedrake and Issiah before anything else."

"Oh..." Twigleg looked disappointed and that just broke Ben's heart. Esmeralda gave a soft disappointed sigh in response as she now cradled Rosa closely to her chest.

"... you three still want to sleep here?"

"Yes. Please. I'm... exhausted." Ivan answered for all of them. Ben was feeling more than a bit sleepy at this point, in fact, he was starting to feel a tad nauseated by his combined lack of sleep and anxiety the last couple of days.

"Yes... follow me..." Esmeralda turned and started walking down the steps with Rosa still cradled to her chest.

So, they followed. They followed her down the steps, passed the main hall, into the dirty empty cafeteria back in the kitchen, and all the way in the way back of the kitchen was a break room for the old cafeteria workers; and in the break room was a private bathroom, old work lockers, and a single dingy mattress with a moth-eaten sheet, and a single dirty pillow. Ben was quick to notice the small make-up bag just beside the mattress. One of the lockers, that had been obviously pried open by sheer strength alone, had a tiny pink plastic Barbie bed in it with a small pink cloth for a blanket. This was (obviously) Rosa's bed.

Ivan gave a low whistle. "You like to stay hidden, huh?" He asked Esmeralda.

"Wouldn't you?" Esmeralda challenged.

"Good point. So, uh... do you want us to sleep outside in the kitchen and this is where we could find you or-"

"I figured we could all sleep here..."

Ben could tell that Esmeralda wasn't trying to be creepy in anyway, that she generally thought that they could all sleep on that tiny twin sized mattress together. _'No social skills?...'_ Ben thought for a moment before coughing. He could see Ivan giving him the side look that generally meant 'help me'.

"Esmeralda, as much I, and Ivan appreciate it, we can't all fit on that mattress. You see it's a twin that's only big enough for two people. Also-uh... well..." Ben rolled up his sleeve showing his fake arm. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm showing you this while saying: I kind of suffer from night terrors from time to time. I really don't want to accidentally slap you in the face." He told her as gently as possible. Esmeralda looked perplexed, not from what Ben had said but from his arm being fake. First, her eyes went wide then she placed a hand on her chest. She placed Rosa down on her bed in the locker before walking over to Ben and gently she brought her hand up to touch Ben's fake up but paused.

"Can I?"

"Uh.. yeah, go for it." Ben gave her permission.

Esmeralda undid the straps and allowed Ben's prosthetic to fall on the ground. She then looked at his stump and then back at him. "How did this happen?" She looked just so bewildered almost like a child.

"Infection." It wasn't a lie.

Her eyes then went to Ivan who was leaning against the doorframe now. "It happened almost a year ago." Ivan filled her in just a little. He looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back at Esmeralda with guilty eyes. Esmeralda frowned deeply before gently rubbing Ben's stump, her hands were actually surprisingly soft and she was gentle with it which made Ben thankful.

"You said you needed help from the rats?" Esmeralda inquired as she pulled her hands away from Ben's arm.

"Yes. Please. That would be great." Ben pulled his sleeve down over his stump. He hated having it revealed out in the open where judging eyes would be watching him.

"Of course! So, who are we looking for? You said the Greytails?" Esmeralda walked over to the break room door and opened it; as the door was heavy and would automatically shut on its own Esmeralda wedged her foot in-between the door and door frame. While she did that Ben couldn't hold himself up anymore and he just put his back to the wall before slowly sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor, however; that wasn't enough. Ben then took his backpack off before laying down on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Twigleg asked him in concern. Twigleg moved from Ben's shoulder and stood on his head and looked down in Ben's face.

"Just tired," Ben quietly told Twigleg.

"Reginald... Regina..." Esmeralda whispered from the doorframe.

Ivan took off his own backpack and then did something else he laid down on his side so he could look at Ben. "Ben, are you sure we need to get the Greytails involved?" Ivan questioned quietly, he then reached up, grabbed one of Ben's curls, and gently twirled the curl with his index finger.

"Ivan... I'm not gonna lie-" Twigleg jumped off of Ben and made his way towards the locker over towards Rosa, Ben just let him go before continuing with his sentence. "-I don't think they're coming back. I think they flew because of the tornado and got lost. They don't know America and... I think it's easy to get lost in." Ivan had a frown on his face at Ben's answer. Ben knew Ivan knew he was right.

"This better be important, Esme." Came a squeaky voice making Ben look over his shoulder to see Esmeralda holding a very fat black and white rat in her hands. He then heard soft and happy clapping making him look up at the locker. Twigleg had finally made his way up to Rosa, but she didn't seem to care about that as she as very happy to see this rat. "Hello there, Rosa." The rat, a male Ben could see so this was Reginald? Esmeralda brought Reginald over to Rosa who happily started to pet Reginald behind the ears and on top his head.

"Soft... soft..." Rosa spoke clearly as she continued to pet him.

Reginald's whiskers twitched happily at Rosa's loving pats. He then very quickly noticed Twigleg. "Who are you?"

"I'm Twigleg, nice to meet you." Twigleg greeted. Reginald only huffed at Twigleg before turning to Esmeralda.

"I didn't make him. He came with them." Esmeralda pointed at Ben and Ivan who were both still huddled on the floor. Both of them just gave Reginald a tired wave.

"What do you want, Esmeralda?" Reginald finally just got straight to the point. "Regina just had her pups and I want to be there with her."

"They need help, Reginald. They're looking for rats called 'Greytail'." Esmeralda told him. Reginald's fur bristled and he barred his teeth at Esmeralda.

"Absolutely not! Us Blacklaces do not talk to the Greytails!"

"What? Why?" Ben sat up a little at that. yeah, he was tired but this didn't make much sense in his mind. What's one pack of rats to another pack?

Reginald sneered at Ben his fur still bristled up in his own anger. "Because Gilbert Greytail is a selfish, selfish rat!" Reginald's whiskers started to twitch more wildly now the angrier he got. "Gilbert promised us a map to Florida so we could leave this abandoned school and live in that place you humans 'Disney' there rats like us could run free!"

"I'm going to tell him-" Ivan told Ben, he was met with a slap on the arm from Ben.

"Don't you dare."

"It's not the first time those Greytails tried to be slick with us either! That Lola... oh, that Lola Greytail…" Both Ben and Twigleg shared a brief look.

"What did Lola do?" Twigleg asked before Ben could.

"She's trying to get my eldest son, Henry, as her own. Been taking him around on that shiny airplane of hers. I've told her once, I've told her million times! "Don't be coming around my son you little harlot! I know what you're up to!"

"Lola?... I'll be damned..." Ben murmured interested now.

"You really shouldn't call her that, sir." Twigleg kept the frown on his face at Reginald. "She's still my friend."

"Well, she's no friend of mine! I don't care how much food you give me, Esme! I won't do it! End of discussion!" Reginald jumped away and rushed away from the room.

"Well... that could have gone better." Ivan sighed heavily, rubbed his eyes tiredly with his fists, and then dragged his hand down his face. "Now what?" he asked.

"... We go back to the forest tomorrow and wait I guess-"

"I-I could help." A rat with a brown head and white body came on in.

"Oh, Henry!" Esmeralda scolded. "Were you listening?"

"Always, Esme," Henry answered her. He trotted over to Esmeralda and flicked his ears at her. "What do you guys need the Greytail for?"

"Well, you see Henry... we need Lola, I'm sure. We've been separated from our dragons and we need to know where they are." Twigleg told the rat. "Lola could find them faster than we can." Henry stood up on his two hind legs and cleaned his whiskers nervously with his tongue.

"A-Ah, you see I was going to see Lola in the next couple of days. She was going to take me flying in her plane, if you wanted I could pass the message along and maybe me and she could... leave together-"

"That's great!" Twigleg happily gasped. "Ben! Young master! We have a break- Oh.." Twigleg quieted down his excitement when he saw Ben already fast asleep Ivan the same way. Rosa tilted her head in confusion as she watched Ben and Ivan. Of course, they did look like they were more than friends. Ivan had his arm wrapped around Ben's back almost like he was protecting him, and they both had their foreheads touching, again almost like they were protecting one another in their sleep.

"Henry, could you come back later when they are awake, we'll discuss it more then," Esmeralda whispered to the rat.

"Of course, Misters."

Esmeralda frowned. "Misses, Henry. I'm a woman."

"Right, of course. Misses, I'll be back later." Henry then turned his tail and left.

Esmeralda finally shut the heavy door and started to hum softly to herself. While she did that she then started to shed her clothes off making Twigleg look away from her out of respect. Esmeralda continued to hum, the tune was familiar to Twigleg and it made him think as bits of the song was slowly coming to his mind.

 _Facing a dying nation... paper fantasy... new told lies..._

Esmeralda toed her shoes off before opening the locker next to the one they were in making Twigleg look at her. _'That's a... Esmeralda is a guy.'_ Twigleg felt embarrassed having seen (and having looked) but now he was just baffled. He'd have to ask Ben about it as his young master knew more about social things than Twigleg had. Esmeralda grabbed a nightgown from the locker. The nightgown looked like it was made of silk or polyester it was a pretty baby blue that reminded Twigleg of Ben's eyes. She twirled a little and the nightgown flared out just a little. She continued to hum and the song became clear to Twigleg as she got to the chorus.

 _Let the sunshine in, let the sunshine, the sunshine in, the sunshine in._

Yes, it came from that musical movie that Twigleg watched with Ben, Ivan, and Guinevere. A movie musical talking about the American war with Vietnam, and drugs, and freedom. It was a hippies paradise of movies musicals for sure. Rosa tapped on Twigleg's shoulder gaining his attention. "Yes?" He spoke very clearly for her to read his lips.

"They... sleep.. like... that... always?" She pointed to Ben and Ivan.

"No. No, not always. It's just been a long day. I will say that's kinda funny. Earlier they were about to fight, but it seems they calmed down enough to get some well-needed shut-eye."

"I...need... to change... into... sleepy clothes." She told Twigleg in a very slow drawn out way.

"Oh, Okay. Do you need help?" He slowly annunciated his words to her and she giggled at him.

"No. I do okay, but I ask that you help get my hair down? Please?" She touched the top of her bun. "It gets too tight."

"Uh, yeah... okay. No problem." Twigleg got behind her and felt around for the hair band. He found it quickly enough and so he pulled.

"Ow!" Rosa cried out in pain as her head jerked back with Twigleg's rather harsh pull.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" Twigleg squeaked, but because he was behind her he knew she couldn't hear his apology. So he tried this again only a little gentler this time around. He knew better than to tug so now he grabbed the band and tried to roll it, but it didn't work. It didn't want to work.

"No, no, no!" She almost yelled before reaching back and grabbing Twigleg's hand at first he thought she was going to push him forward to stop his failure, but instead, she directed his hair to the side of her bun. "Um... uh... unwrap my hair first then pull the band." She directed him. And he did just that. Unraveling the bun it showed just how long Rosa's pink hair actually was. It reached down below her bony little knees. Twigleg gently reached over and ran his fingers through her long hair causing her to look back at him.

"Sorry! It's just... your hair is very pretty." Once again he made sure to annunciate his words so she'd understand. She looked stunning with her hair down. Her eye brought her fist up to her mouth and continued to giggle at him.

"Thank you!" She yelled this time causing Ben to twitch just a little making Twigleg worried about waking him.

"Uh... you know... Rosa? I want to show you something. You can say 'thank you' like this," and so he put his dominant hand to his mouth and then flattened it out and down.

Rosa looked a little confused at this, but then she smiled at him again. "Like... this." She copied his movement.

"Yes. It's called sign language, you can use it instead of speaking. Once you understand what each sign means then you can communicate with your master better-"

"You teach?" She grasped Twigleg's hands excitedly. "You understand me. You like me. So you can teach me?"

"Oh... you see..." That excited little spark in her eye made Twigleg frown. He didn't want to disappoint her. He wanted to help her in any way he can. After all, it was him and her, she was the last of his species so it was only natural he'd want to help her in any way he can. "... I'll do what I can, Rosa." Rosa beamed ear to ear at him before suddenly hugging him, making Twigleg blush something he never had before. Carefully he wrapped his arms around her in a pretty awkward hug. Still, Twigleg smiled at this, he wasn't the last of his kind anymore and even though Rosa is deaf, he didn't care. Why would he? He'll teach her sign language and it'll be no problem.

* * *

Issiah was livid now. They were lost and they were away from Ivan all because Firedrake put his trust into a brownie! Issiah lashed out and swung his paw out hitting a small, just blooming tree, and it splintered to pieces from his mighty paw. He was away from Firedrake and Sorrel and just wondering around the forest. He didn't want to be near them, not now anyway, the last thing he wanted to hear was one of them trying to defend the tree he smashed.

Issiah had half a mind to just leave and go his own way, but he knew that'd be bad, he knew he'd either get caught or even more lost, America was a big place after all and, as much as he'd hated to admit it, he needed to stay near Firedrake for protection if things went wrong. Issiah stopped his walking when he heard the soft 'crack' of a twig behind him. So, he turned around and blinked. Behind him was a human, something he honestly should have expected but he didn't. Issiah's ears twitched a little wildly as the more he looked at this human the more concerned Issiah got.

It was a human woman. She had golden blonde hair that was encrusted with dirt, mud, and blood. The top of her forehead, just before the hairline, was bleeding seeping into her hair. Her eyes a lively green color, though he almost couldn't see her eye color as her left eye was swollen shut surrounded by different hues of red and purple that almost made him sick to see. Her right eye, not swollen, was still a disgusting shade of purple. Her bottom lip was busted open and bleeding still, the blood leaving her lip and going down her chin. The woman had to be close to Ivan's age, maybe a year or two younger than him. The woman looked at Issiah and let out a shuttered sob. She had on a 'sun' dress as Ms. Guinevere once told him about. This dress was torn in places showing her sickly white flesh underneath followed by long scars looking like they were done with knives

"C-Can you help me, please?"

Needless to say, Firedrake and Sorrel were not impressed when Issiah came back with his injured guest. Issiah would have healed her himself if he had that sort of power...

The woman could hardly stay on her feet by the time he got to the duo.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Sorrel hissed as Issiah her fur rising horribly with her anger.

"She's hurt-" Issiah tried to defend himself, but it became clear that Sorrel didn't care about any of it even as she waved Issiah off. The bleeding girl fell to her knees in front of Firedrake. Her head down now, Issiah could see that her breath was hitching and her hands were trembling clearly afraid.

"Well, why didn't you heal her yourself-"

"-Sorrel, you know why." Firedrake interrupted her very quickly.

Issiah's ears gave a twitch at Sorrel, but he didn't test it with her seeing how Firedrake decided to silence her. _'For once.'_ Issiah thought.

"... Who did this to you?" Firedrake asked the girl as he urged her to look up at him.

"My... mother." She whispered as she shook in place. "She's always been crazy, but today she just absolutely lost it... please, if you can just help me. I promise I won't tell a soul about you."

"Do you have anywhere to go?" Firedrake inquired her gently.

"Firedrake... I swear..." Sorrel spoke in a very deep warning tone to Firedrake.

"... I... I have my mother-"

Sorrel sighed deeply. "I was afraid you were going to say that..."

"... Hold still, don't worry, and don't panic. It won't hurt." Firedrake sucked in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Blue flames started to lick at her body and with in moments her eye that was swollen went back down, the bruise was still there but wasn't as bad, the eye that wasn't swollen almost completely healed. Her mouth healed but a tiny scar was till present. She looked better but still so disheveled. Her breathing never backed away from that scared hitched breathing as before.

Still, she swallowed hard, looked up at Firedrake with, now, wide eyes, and said. "Thank you."

"Of course..."

"If-If it's not too much... could I just... stay here for a little while longer? I'm not exactly in any hurry to go home to my mother."

"Of course, stay as long as you need." Firedrake answered her politely, and so Sorrel sighed a loud and deep irritated sigh.

"And I was afraid you were going to say _that."_


	8. Chapter 8

The morning came pretty fast. Yeah, morning. Almost all of them slept through the middle of the day and through the night. Even Esmeralda slept for a good twelve hours like them, the only one to not sleep for all that time was Rosa, when Twigleg woke she had already gotten herself dressed in a new princess type dress. He couldn't remember who exactly, all he knew was that her pink hair matched the color of the bright pink dress.

"Good morning." She greeted him with a lively smile on her face.

"Uh... Good-" Twigleg tapped his chin and brought his stiff hand out to her. "Morning." He signed to her.

"Good-" She brought her hand to her chin and tapped it "-Morning." she brought her hand out.

"Good!" He squeaked at her.

"Morning!" She responded happily to him as she signed it back to him.

"Yes! Good morning!" Ivan yelled irritated from his spot on the floor. Ivan then slowly sat up. His red hair greasy and frizzy from being unwashed for a couple of days now, he had black bags under his eyes showing that he was still very tired. "Fuck..." Ivan murmured, bringing his hands up, rubbing both of his eyes with the palm of his hands, and then he pushed his frizzy hair back away from his face with his hands. "... I did not sleep well..." Ivan sighed sleepily. He then reached over for his bag and opened it pulling out a can of ravioli. He opened it with a loud 'pop' and that woke Ben up.

"Good morning." Twigleg greeted Ben as his young master slowly sat up.

"Yeah... morning..." Ben's brow furrowed in mild confusion as if he didn't understand where he was. He then placed both of his hands to face. _'Something's wrong.'_ Twigleg through as he stood at the edge of the locker before quickly scaling down the locker to Rosa's confusion. Twigleg made it down safely to the ground and briskly walked up to Ben. Once there, he touched Ben's leg getting his attention. "I'm fine...I just... I just wished this was all a dream." Ben whispered as he looked around the room till finally looking down at Twigleg-no... down at his missing arm. Twigleg sadly put his head down on Ben's knee. Ben noticed this fairly quickly. He then patted Twigleg's hair lovingly. "I'll be fine when I wake up a little more-"

"Good morning!~" Esmeralda loudly sang as she woke and stretched her arms out. Both Ivan and Ben jumped and turned tense at her very loud voice. Ivan visibly cringed at this before rolling his eyes at the cheerful Esmeralda.

"Oh, god... it's a morning person..."

* * *

Issiah snorted slightly as he watched the human woman sleep against Firedrake. She had her head on his flank as he laid down next to her. _'That dragon is cuddly with any human, it seems...'_ Issiah thought as he watched the two of them. Sorrel, now currently upset with Firedrake, was laying against a nearby tree trying to get her own rest in for the day. The woman's hair completely covered the side of her face probably helping her keep the sun out of her face.

Issiah, who was already laying down, crossed his paws his paws (one over the other) and laid his head down between the small space he made. He watched the woman closely with narrowed eyes. Yeah, he was okay with healing her, but having her stay with them for this long? No, his instincts were telling him that she needed to leave and she needed to leave soon. _'Ugh! I wish I could have healed her and sent her on her way... but no... I'm no the same as them. I'm... alone. The last one... sadly. I tried to find Kinship with the silver dragons, but it's hard when their fire heals and mine only... burns.'_ Issiah sneered slightly to himself. _'But that's okay! I don't need the silver dragons! I have Ivan! Together we'll leave once I find him again. He understands what it's like to be alone..."_

Issiah wrapped his tail around his body and wiggled a bit to get comfortable on his spot in the grass. His eyes were feeling heavy, and he knew he needed to get some shut-eye for tonight, he knew Ivan must be worried sick about them, and he was sure that they were close to being back in Illinois. He could feel it.

* * *

Ben sighed softly as the harsh morning sunlight stabbed his eyes ungracefully. He had to get out of that darkened cafeteria for the time being and get some fresh air. Twigleg was currently with Rosa teaching her a little sign language (against Ben's wishes, but whatever.) Ivan was eating in the dark, he offered Ben some ravioli, but Ben wasn't hungry. Esmeralda... well, Ben stopped keeping tabs on her when she went to the bathroom with her makeup bag and same clothes from last night. So, while everyone was currently doing their own thing, Ben excused himself and made his way outside with his cell phone in hand. The sunlight soon started to feel good and actually started to warm his cold body. Once a little more relaxed Ben looked around and took in the sights and sounds. This place seemed nice enough, yeah sure there was only a wire fence between him and the neighborhood, but he figured he was fine. He could hear a dog barking in the distance, a couple of cars passing by, but that's about it. Sitting outside of the door with his foot wedged between the door and doorframe, stopping it from shutting and locking on him, Ben looked and flipped his phone up to see all of his missed calls.

Ben was sure parents and friends have an antenna in their heads for when you're in danger because if the five missed calls from Barnabas and the six missed calls from Atticus told him anything, it was that. At first Ben didn't know if he should dial them back, but he should at least tell them he was okay. So, he called Barnabas first. His adoptive father answered on the very first ring.

"Ben! You're okay! You know we've talked about you keeping your cell phone on silent!" His stepfather scolded lightly over the phone.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry it's been a rough couple days." Ben sighed loudly. He could practically hear his stepfather perk up from the other side.

"A rough couple of days? Oh, dear. What happened?"

"... Nothing too bad... Americans are just ruder than what I'm used to." Ben quickly decided to lie. _'No need to worry him too much.'_ his mind reasoned.

"I see... you know, I've been trying to keep Atticus at bay, but he's been snooping around again lately. He knows something is up."

"Atticus told me he stopped stalking me years ago." Ben kind of huffed and kind of laughed at Barnabas in a joking way.

"Once a vampiric stalker, always a vampiric stalker... seriously though. I was cleaning the living room and when I pulled up the blinds he was just... there looking at me. I invited him in for some tea, but he declined." Barnabas sighed deeply. "You know, Jackson has been wondering about you lately. Wondering where his big brother has gone off to... honestly, we all thought you'd be home by now... did something happen?"

"No! Everything is fine... we just want to take an extra day or two to look at the sites is all."

"Well... hurry home before too long, please. You're in James's territory you know? I mean, yeah he had a following here in the UK and I can't imagine how much he had in the US first and foremost." Barnabas warned slightly. Ben listened, but at the same time he couldn't help but pause as he noticed a figure currently walking towards the fence instantly he tensed a little at this.

"Oh- Guinevere!" Suddenly Barnabas's voice was the background as it became clear that Guinevere had snatched the phone from him.

"Now you call!" Guinevere sound relieved at this on the other side of the phone. Ben could hear her just walking away through out the house. He wanted to say hi, but before he could say a thing he heard a door shut and Guinevere spoke up. "-And you're a little liar!" She wasn't angry by that, in fact, she sounded a little proud and impressed. Ben focused on the person who seemed to have stopped.

"Okay, you have to be more specific here, Guin. I kinda lied to a bunch of people."

"Your old job. You told us you were fired, but you _quit!"_ She sounded gitty at this. "What made you snap and quit?" She whispered now in her excitement.

"... I don't know... I just... I had enough. This man was screaming at me about his food like I was the one to make it and... I had it! I literally took my hat off and tossed it at him and said: "You know so much? Here! Do my job you wank!" and then I just grabbed a drink and left." Ben excitedly whispered back at her. "I... didn't- no- I couldn't do it anymore."

"Why lie?" Guinevere asked. "Everyone knows you hated it there."

"... Guin... I felt ashamed. I didn't even last a year there and I quit... I couldn't tell Ivan that after he's been in Jail." He whispered in response. The person was still standing off in the distance making Ben wonder if they were looking at him or not. He really couldn't tell and it was making him nervous.

"Yeah, well... your secret is safe with me... though, I know you heard dad. Atticus has been snooping around again. Something's not right though."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know; he's kinda been acting like when he first started stalking you. All quiet in the shadows." Ben could hear her chewing now, probably some sort of snack, "I don't know... I've tried talking to him, but- like dad said, he's not right. Maybe you should talk to him. Heaven only knows he'll listen to you." Guinevere responded with a loud sigh.

"Yeah, I was going to call him next."

"Maybe tell him the truth so he'd stopped being weird?"

"Yeah."

"Look, I gotta go, it's getting kinda late here-"

"Late? The day just started!" Ben laughed.

"Oh, Man when you come back home, jetlag is gonna getchu good." Guinevere joked lovingly at Ben. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you too, Guin. Sleep tight." Ben then hung up and just stared at his phone with a heavy sigh. The door suddenly opened causing Ben to turn and greet Ivan.

"Everything alright?" Ivan questioned.

"Yeah, just talking to Guin and dad," Ben answered him. "About to call Atti. Dad and Guin have been saying he's stalking around again."

"Well, you knew he was going to figure out you weren't actually at home sooner or later."

Ben put the phone up to his ear and as it was ringing Atticus's number he only chuckled at Ivan, "To be honest, I was hoping to be home by now-huh?" Ben's brow furrowed as he brought his phone out to look at it. "That's odd..."

"What's wrong?"

"I was met with... static? I think... then it just hung up. That's just weird."

"Yeah, well maybe it's for the best? Beside I think we need to talk about what we're going to do now?" Ivan leaned against the doorframe.

"What do you mean?"

"How much money do you have on you?"

Ben, still a little confused, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and opened it showing his money. "... I dunno… twenty-five quid- sterlings- dammit! Dollars!" Ben huffed in his own annoyance.

"Okay, we have a problem then, because we're kind of out of food."

"Bloody hell..."

"I mean we can spend the rest of your money on food if you'd like-"

"-but what if Firedrake and Issiah are in another state? We're probably going to need some money in case of an emergency..."

Ivan gave a low sigh in response, he then rubbed his eye with his palm, and then dragged his palm up towards his forehead leaving a red mark streaked where he rubbed. Ivan looked nervous as he proposed their next action "Well... we could go back to stealing... you know, just the basics. Canned goods, nonperishables, water… money..."

Ben sucked in a breath through his teeth at that last suggestion. "I don't- no! No!" He cut himself off with a firm no. "-We don't need the money, this isn't dire, those other situations were, but not this one. I'm okay with stealing a little food if needed, but not money."

"Okay, I understand... There's an IGA down the street..."

"Are you hinting at something?"

"Yes. We need food."

Ben exhaled some air out of his nose at that and then just nodded. "Fine. Gimmie a couple of minutes..." Ben turned his head back around towards the fence. The guy was gone. There seemed to be no worry.

* * *

"So, do you have a name?" Sorrel boredly asked the girl. The day's rays were bright and welcoming, even though the woman was still covered in mud, she looked a lot better thanks to Firedrake's healing fire.

"Isabelle. Just call me Belle though, everyone does." Belle smiled at them.

"Belle..." Sorrel rolled her eyes as she looked through her backpack. "Well Belle, it was nice to have you over, but I think it's high time you leave-" Isabelle frowned at that.

"Now, just wait a moment..." Issiah found himself speaking out before Firedrake could either agree or disagree with Sorrel. Yeah, sure he wasn't fond on having a stranger with them, but... okay, fine. Issiah wouldn't just throw her to the wolves he wasn't just that heartless. "I mean... Sorrel, this woman was beaten! Do you not remember how she looked mere hours ago?..." Something's wrong... he couldn't place it but something was terribly wrong."-I don't... think we should... just let her go back to her mother!" He managed to finish his sentence. Once his sentence was finished it was like he was hit face first into a wall as the memory came flooding back.

 _It was sobbing that had caught Issiah's attention first and foremost. He was just doing his thing bathing in the sunlight for a nice sunbath when he first heard it. It was a human, he knew that without even looking at it. Humans had distinct cries he learned rather early on. Still, he just wanted to ignore the human and go on about his sunbathing, but that proved to be a little hard to do as the human just wouldn't stop with his cries. So, with a hefty sigh, Issiah forced himself up to his paws and decided to check it out. Of course, he wasn't going to show himself to the human, he wasn't stupid, but he was going to see what this human was so upset about._

 _So, after a bit of walking and listening it wasn't hard to find said human. This human..._

 _Issiah saw it's brilliant red hair before anything else. The hair seemed to dazzle in the sunlight almost. Then Issiah focused on the other details of this human. Tall, but young looking at the same time with youthful green eyes. He had... little polka dots all over his body and his skin was light in color making the little dots stand out. His face..._

 _His face was covered in black and blue splotches, he lines over his neck that Issiah quickly realize were from hands as those lines were brown bruises. His cheek was bruised a sickly green, and one of his eyes was swollen shut it was a disgusting mix of red, blue, black, and purple. His nose was clearly broken as blood was still bleeding freely from it. The human never saw him at first, mainly because the human was currently on his knees digging his hands in to the grass, the loud sobs leaving his bleeding mouth. These weren't sobs of pain but of rage. Issiah realized that when he watched the human start ripping the grass out of the forest floor. "I'll never be like you! Never in a million years!" The human screamed out his breathing heavy and ragged._

 _Issiah just wanted to get a closer look at this human. That closer look caused him to walk right over the human's form. The human quickly looked up at Issiah, he had a look of shock that then turned into a small look of sadness. "Oh... hello..." The human greeted._

 _This human just looked so lost. Issiah felt a little bad for him._

 _"You look... hurt..." Issiah breathed out through his nose. His hot breath hitting the human in the face causing him to shut his good eye for a second._

 _"Oh? This? My dad has done worse than this, trust me." He sighed. "You musta heard that little episode I had just then..."_

 _"Yeah. I did, but that's okay..."_

 _The awkwardness fell on the duo like a heavy blanket. The boy gave a weak sniffle before rubbing his nose with his index finger. "Does your dad... do that often?" Issiah asked the human. "Strike you?"_

 _"... Yeah... kinda. He wants this perfect son to pass down his genius and... I'm not that that's more my twin. So, he resorts to forcing me to be what he wants- why am I telling you this?" Issiah's ears flicked up at the human. Again, he just couldn't help but feel bad for this weak tiny human. Why? Why would he care? Why should he care? After all what has a human done for him? "-Look, it doesn't matter... I got away and that's all I care about!" The human tried to laugh it off, but it just came out forced and unnatural._

 _"You got a name?"_

 _"... It's... Ivan..." Ivan's good eye flickered up towards Issiah with a little curiosity. He had just a little gleam in that one eye that made Issiah just a little excited. He shuffled his paws uneasily before looking back at Ivan with curious eyes. Ivan was no longer look at Issiah instead he was looking up at the sky wiping his teary eyes. Issiah had no clue why but he wanted to make this human smile._

 _"Well, Ivan you want to know a little secret?" Issiah asked him in a low whisper that caused Ivan to focus on him once again._

 _"What?" Ivan crossed his over his chest uneasily at Issiah. Issiah's wings fluttered and before Ivan could respond Issiah lunged._

 _A loud scream left Ivan's mouth as Issiah grabbed him by his shirt and tossed him high in the air. The scream only increased in volume as Ivan was already starting to come down Ivan must have flipped twice at this point. With one jump Issiah was in the air with his wings spread and Ivan landed on Issiah's back not so gracefully. "Dragons are perfect catchers!" Issiah grinned at him as he slow down and just flew normally._

 _"Not cool! Not. Cool!" Ivan's breath was heavy with fear that made Issiah chuckle in response to him. Ivan let out a loud "whew!" and leaned back just a bit on Issiah's back. Then with no warning, Ivan started to laugh. It started as a low uneasy chuckle at first before he just full blown laughed. "That was crazy! I think I flipped like... five times?! I don't know! You! You are crazy!... and I like it..." Ivan, being at the crook of Issiah's neck, leaned against him almost lovingly. "I really like it."_

 _"You like crazy, huh?" Issiah found himself chuckling back at Ivan. Issiah felt a weird warmth in his chest at that and he no longer felt so alone as he lightly flapped his wings. "You know, Ivan? Why don't you stay with me for a while? I mean unless you want to stay with your dad-"_

 _"-I'll stay with you." Ivan cut him off really quickly. Issiah chortled at Ivan._

 _"Very well, Ivan. You and me together... yeah... that could work for now... at least."_


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you sure you don't wanna come with us, Twig?" Ivan asked Twigleg as the trio walked towards the school's entrance. Twigleg was on Ben's shoulders while Rosa was on Esmeralda's shoulders.

"No, I want to stay and teach Rosa as much as I can. She's learning really fast." Twigleg squeaked with excitement. Ben set him down on the bottom step of the stairs, but Esmeralda didn't do so right away to Rosa.

"Are you sure we can trust them to be here alone?" Esmeralda asked after a few seconds of everyone looking at her. "I've never left Rosa alone-"

"-Then stay with them." Ivan shrugged. He let then let out a loud 'oof!' as Ben elbowed him harshly in the stomach. Ivan didn't exactly hide the fact that he didn't want Esmeralda to join them on their plan to steal food from the local IGA, but she needed food as well and didn't really know how to steal without getting caught.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Esmeralda, we're more than happy to have you with us." Ben cut in.

Esmeralda then swept her very long brown over her free shoulder and started to play with the horrible split ends of her hair. Ben just wanted to take a scissor to those ends, Guinevere hated having split ends and she would have a fit if she saw Esmeralda's hair. She seemed uneasy about leaving which honestly raised more questions for Ben. She looked anxious now. Was she really that afraid of leaving Rosa behind?

"Esmeralda, look at this place!" Ben brought his arm out to emphasize his point. "This is a large school that is abandoned. The only things that live here are you and the rats. I don't think any of them are going to harm Twigleg or Rosa. Besides Twigleg is smart, he'll get them out of tricky situations if it ever comes to that."

Esmeralda didn't seem so convinced right away, but she seemed to think about it after a few seconds as her furrowed brow straightened back up and she gave a satisfied nod. "Okay, I think it can work." She finally agreed. Ben smiled at that, but Ivan just gave an obviously annoyed tick at that he did keep his mouth shut, which Ben appreciated. Esmeralda placed Rosa down on the step next to Twigleg.

"We'll be back before too long, Okay?" Ben comforted Twigleg. He would have loved to have brought them along, but Twigleg wanted to teach Rosa as much as he could about sign language, and who was Ben to really stop him if he had the time to do so.

"Okay, please do hurry back, and try not to get caught."

"Oh, we won't!" Esmeralda answered in a chipper voice and even flicked her wrist at him in a dismissive manner. She was so confident in her answer that Ben it caused Ben to blink at her in surprise. Still, he didn't question it, he just figured she was very confident and that perhaps she was lying about never stealing before? He didn't know, but at least the trip to the store he could ask her some questions. Rosa waved goodbye to them as they started walking away from them, Ben made sure to give her a wave bye back.

Then they were out of the door and Ben thought for sure he had gone blind. The sunlight completely stabbed him in the retinae. He so used to the darkened corridors of the school and kitchen (which had almost no windows) that his vision had to adjust to the sunlight. Yeah, he was outside earlier, but that was still early morning and this was now middle of the day. It seemed that Ivan was having the same problem as Ben because once Ben's eyes adjusted he saw Ivan huddled over with his hands pressed to his eyes. Esmeralda seemed uncomfortable but didn't really react as they did.

Once they all recovered from their sudden assault from the sun they finally made their way to IGA which was the opposite way from Ivan's old childhood home. "I hope it's still up and running. It's been so long..." Ivan commented as they followed him from behind. Ben and Esmeralda were shoulders to shoulder walking together as Ivan was in front of them. This gave Ben the perfect time to talk to her. However, there was one problem with that: he had so many questions. Esmeralda- we weren't going to lie- has to be one of the more interesting people he's met in a long time. Yeah, Ivan was interesting when Ben first met him, but not this interesting. She was almost an enigma in some ways. As in he just couldn't read her right away.

"-I know you have questions." She suddenly spoke causing Ben to perk almost instantly. Was he that much of a giveaway? Ivan looked over his shoulder at them but just kept on walking.

"Okay-" Ben sucked in a deep breath. "-Uh... how long have you been living in that school for?"

"Less than a week. I had no choice but to run with Rosa."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"I-" Esmeralda paused for a moment and stopped walking causing Ben to stop right next to her. Esmeralda pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead. "Sorry, headache." She whispered before she tried to shake it off and kept on walking. Ivan was now more ahead of them, he showed no signs of slowing something that made Ben frown a little.

"Do you need some IB? Or Aspirin? I can lift some from the store if you'd like." Ben offered. Esmeralda only shook her head in response.

"You could try, but all it'd be is a waste. I've had these headache's since I was a kid."

"Oh, no." Ben sympathized.

"That's okay. I don't mind them really, but recently after I created Rosa... they just seemed to get worse. Then again, I think it's my own fault. You see, I never really took good care of myself. Especially after my sister died."

"What happened to her?"

"My-"

"Hey!" Ivan's voice suddenly called for them. Ben looked away from Esmeralda to see Ivan now a good twenty to thirty feet away from them waving them down. "Are you guys coming or what?!"

"Coming!" Ben called back to him and made an attempt to run up and catch to him, but Esmeralda suddenly caught his arm stopping him from running.

"Don't run. walk." She advised so suddenly and so... monotone that it made Ben stop for a second.

"Okay." He responded in slight fear to her sudden change in voice and tone. Ivan was growing impatient now, he had his hands on his hips all while tapping his right foot impatiently to prove his point. Still, even though he was seeing Ivan clearly growing irate, Ben took Esmeralda's advice and started to walk up to Ivan instead of jogging or running. Ivan was three houses away, Ben knew this by the number of driveways that was between him and Ivan. So, needless to say with Ben taking his time Ivan was growing more impatient and starting to huff now.

Ben and Esmeralda passed the first driveway leading to a two-story yellow house that Ben didn't give too much look into, then they passed the second driveway going to a squatter one story house that was a basic white color.

Then, at the third driveway, Ben didn't get a good look at the house as his foot suddenly got caught on something he couldn't see and he almost fell to the ground but he quickly caught himself before he completely lost his balance. "Bloody- what?" Ben gasped loudly and looked down to see just what had caught his ankle. Ivan, having seen Ben almost fall came walking up quickly. "Is this... fishing wire?" Ben jumped over the wire that had caught his foot so suddenly. He then looked into the driveway to see that some sort of renovation with new concrete being put in place. Once he got a closer inspection he could see the spikes that were holding the nearly invisible wire up.

"How did I miss that?" Ivan suddenly questioned. He brought his index finger up and moved it against the fishing wire making it jiggle a little and giving it some visibility. Ben saw how pretty clearly. Ivan was walking alone, therefore he was walking on the left, missing the wire because he was at the end of the driveway. Ben was with Esmeralda and walking on the right actually crossing into the driveway, and he was going to stick right when he was going to catch up to Ivan. If he had been running, something he was planning on doing, he would have crashed and burned, horribly.

Ben turned to Esmeralda who was now standing beside herself and just looking up at the sky. He almost wanted to ask her how she knew that he should have walked and not run, but then he got to thinking about it and just figured she saw the fishing line when he didn't and warned him. "Are you okay?" Ivan asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get going." Ben urged. He grabbed Esmeralda's arm and started to carefully lead her around the fishing wire and together the three were off towards the store. This time with no more hiccups. Now, Ben has never been to an 'IGA' before, and when they made it he realized it was just a grocery store. Nothing more, nothing less.

They didn't go inside right away. Instead, Ivan lead them just a little ways away from the store. "Now, we only have one bag for this, so don't go crazy on food," Ben warned Ivan. Esmeralda wasn't with them, no, she decided to look at her reflection in the store's window.

"It has a bag too- Ow!" Ben had smacked Ivan up top the head. Ivan grabbed his head where Ben had struck.

"Stop calling her an 'it', don't think your little comments went unnoticed."

"That's not a she, Ben and you know it."

"I'm not having this conversation right now, Ivan. We will talk about your transphobia later, but for now, we need to talk about food. Yes, _she_ has a bag, but that's her bag for her own food." Ivan snorted and crossed his arms a little bitterly.

"I don't even know why... why would they come with us? They said they never stole food before."

 _'Well, at least he didn't call her an 'it' this time around.'_ Ben thought. 'they and them' were way better than 'it' in every way imaginable. "Well, she has to learn sometime." was all Ben could respond with before turning. "If you're done now? We got food to get."

It started off easy enough. Ben went straight for the canned goods and carefully started to shove them into his backpack. He, of course, made sure that nobody was around to see him do this. Ivan meanwhile went off and started grabbing some other foods a couple aisles down. Esmeralda was just doing her own thing. Ben didn't bother her, not now anyway. Ben was looking through the canned goods and choosing which ones to grab as he put it in his bag quickly. Once he was sure he had enough he threw his bag over his shoulder and quickly made his way down the aisles to find Ivan or Esmeralda. He didn't find Esmeralda, but about three or four aisles down he found Ivan looking at the candy.

"Oh, you twat. Stop it with the junk." Ben grabbed Ivan's ear harshly causing him to tense up in slight pain. Ivan waved Ben's hand off quickly.

"Okay, since it's the two of us now-" Ivan looked around quick and once he was sure there was nobody around to hear he just gave Ben a confused look. "What is with you and Esmeralda? You know damn well that is no woman."

Ben huffed and leaned against the aisle and frowned at Ivan. "What's gotten into you? Who are you to judge? If Esmeralda wants to be a woman I'm not going to stop her from wanting to do so. It's none of my business anyway same with you."

"Ben, I'm just going to say it. You're fascinated with this Esmeralda in the same way you were fascinated with Atticus and his stalker tendencies."

"Oh? How's that? They're nothing alike-" Ben scoffed loudly at Ivan but he was cut off pretty quickly by Ivan's sudden whisper of:

"You like batshit crazy! Yes, Atticus is your friend, but he's also a half-blood vampire with an unhealthy obsession with you who _openly admitted to stalking you at twelve years old._ And now, Atticus isn't with us, so now there's Esmeralda. Who, not only managed to make her own homunculus but is a transwoman and oddly... just weird?"

"You're being unreasonable about this-"

"I'm not. You're not seeing the bigger picture here. I'm the only one being on my toes about this and it's starting to piss me off. Don't you think it's a little weird that we managed to find her the only other person with a homunculus in the world- that we know of- in that school that we needed to sleep in for the night? Don't you? This is all too weird for me."

Ben wanted to roll his eyes, shove it off as paranoia on Ivan's part, but Ben knew that Ivan was right. It was really weird that they found Esmeralda the way they did. "Ivan... she seems harmless, okay-"

"-Yeah, and I'm sure when he was pretending to be me; my twin probably seemed harmless as well." Ivan rolled his eyes and snatched a box of Twinkies off of the shelf and looked at them with an intense stare.

Ben brought his index finger up to Ivan very quickly. "This is different and you know it."

"After all these years you still just blindly trust anybody who comes your way. You know I'm surprised you haven't died yet!" Ivan suddenly yelled at him in clear irritability. Ben pursed his lips in anger, now Ivan was pushing buttons and Ben didn't like it one bit.

"I almost did for you-!" Ben shoved Ivan's shoulder making him drop his box of Twinkies and even take a sudden step back in surprise. "-A person I blindly trusted! Now stop being such an arse about this!" Ben hissed through clenched teeth.

"I don't trust him-"

"You know, Ivan-" Ben put his hand up now to silence Ivan as it was clear he was going to speak again and Ben wasn't having it. "-Something tells me if Esmeralda had more womanly features and didn't look so much like a guy. You'd be all over her, but you don't trust her because she's trans and you're absolutely horrible for it-"

"Don't make this about that, Ben."

"But it's true, and you know what? You damn well know it-"

"Excuse me?" A teenager came walking up to them making them both stop their argument and try to act normal. "I couldn't help but overhear just a bit- don't worry!" The teen brought his hands up when he saw both of their panicked faces. "I didn't hear a lot, I just wanted to ask. Is the guy with the pink skirt on your friend? Because he's on the floor."

"Shit!" Ivan gave a loud curse out loud. While Ivan just cursed Ben grabbed the teen by the arm.

"Where is she?" Ben demanded while he heard Ivan growl out several obscenities behind them. Ben was going to do more than talk to him about it now when this was all said and done for. "What happened?" Ben asked the teen as the two of them were now jogging down the aisles.

"Dunno, man. I just know is that she's on the floor and a crowd is starting to form."

Esmeralda was in the fresh fruit section. Ben had to push past several onlookers to get to her. She was on the floor alright. Her back was curved, head down, legs bent up to her chest, and her arms huddled to her chest. Classic fetal position. Ben quickly dropped down to be beside her. Esmeralda was awake and fully aware of what was happening, but she had this bugged out, wide-eyed look on her face that told Ben _something_ happened to her when he wasn't looking.

"What happened?" Ben tried to ask her in a soothing voice. He could hear laughing and giggling in front of him and when he looked up he could see some of the onlookers now had their phones out either taking a picture or a video. Either way, he made sure to give them a good glare before focusing back on Esmeralda. Ben was doing his best to try and soothe her, he knew that on the occasion Guinevere could get like this, but when she does it's solved with Midol and chocolate, but here he felt a little out of his league. Still, with a bit of a shaky hand, he rubbed Esmeralda's long hair. That seemed to do it as Esmeralda moved just a bit.

"My head... the headache it's worse than before..." She whispered almost inaudible to Ben. Her face scrunched up as she then buried her face in her hands. Maybe Midol and chocolate might help her after all.

"... and you... decided to lay down in the middle of the store?" Ben questioned her as he continued to pat her head.

"No. I-..." Her stare suddenly became vacant as she went quiet. Her eyes became glassy and almost lifeless that made Ben's heart drop because to him right now it looked like she did just die.

"Esme?" Ben shook her shoulders a little and with literally no warning she was off of the floor and grabbed him by his collar that caused Ben to cry out loudly in surprise.

"Don't let him answer! He can't answer it!" Esmeralda and Ben were completely face to face. So close that Ben could smell her breath. It didn't smell too nice. Ben's shock hasn't faded as he now tried to push her off of him, but to his surprise, despite her skinny appearance, she had a good tight grip on him. "He can't answer it! Stop him!" Esmeralda suddenly got up and pushed Ben away.

"What-?"

"He won't listen to me! Stop him!" She gave Ben another shove away. Ben felt so confused at this point, but he was _so glad_ that the costumers filming this were finding them funny (pure sarcasm there). "His phone! Stop Ivan!" Esmeralda finally yelled loudly. This made Ben look down the aisles and he could see Ivan, it wasn't too hard to miss him really. He was a good five aisles away and yeah he had his phone in his hand looking at it. "Please!" Esmeralda pulled at the long strands of her brown hair.

Ben looked back at Ivan and sucked in a deep breath. "Ivan! Hold up!" Ben yelled to Ivan so loud that his voice echoed. This caused Ivan to look up at him in his confusion.

"It's Zen!" Ivan yelled to Ben as Ben was running as fast as he could to his friend. This caused Ben to slow down just a little. _'Why would he call? Is it Atti?'_ Ben thought as he stopped suddenly just a few feet away from Ivan now and... Ben didn't stop him and Ivan answered.

"Hey! What's up?" Ivan answered happily.

and everything was fine. So, Ben was honestly just confused as to what happened. A few seconds later Esmeralda walked up to him and placed her hand on Ben's shoulder.

"Everything is going to be worse now." She spoke in an almost ghostly tone than with no warning she collapsed to the ground again this time unconscious.

"Esme!"

* * *

Belle was giggling happily as she hugged on to Issiah's snout. Issiah… actually didn't mind. With her so close to him he could smell her scent. She smelt like cheap perfume, the grass, and just a tad bit of smoke from Firedrake's fire. Issiah didn't mind Belle practically hanging off him mainly because it felt nice to just have attention on him for once. Ivan wasn't constantly looking back to make sure Ben was okay, she wasn't focusing on Firedrake, or Sorrel, no, all of her attention was on him. Issiah moved his head up and Belle giggled gleefully as she was lifted off of the ground hanging from his horns.

"No! Put me down!" Belle giggled madly and Issiah did as she wished.

"Yeah, this has been great, but we have to go, now Issiah!" Sorrel huffed suddenly. She was sitting on Firedrake's back, the sun was starting to set now and it was time for them to get going finally. Belle frowned and crossed her arms.

"Where are you guys going to in such a hurry anyway?" Belle asked them all.

"We need to get to Illinois," Issiah answered her, he heard Sorrel's angry grunts and jumbles of syllables from behind him. Pretty obvious she did not agree with his decision to just blurt out where they were trying to get to.

"Oh?" Belle threw her hands behind her and smiled cutely at Issiah. Issiah noticed that her eyes were a little crossed with her right eye pointed inward. He didn't mind it actually made her look cuter. She batted her eyelashes at him. "And you're going east? That's not going to work." Belle gave her head a good long shake and started to walk a little bit away so her back was turned to them.

"What do you mean?" Firedrake was the one to ask her.

"You don't know?" Belle turned around with a concerned expression on her face. "You're in Louisiana, you need to go north, not east. If you go east you'll end up in Alabama." She informed them. "Oh, my." She placed her hand on her chest suddenly. "Imagine if I weren't here to tell you. You'd be lost-"

"Alright. What do you want?" Sorrel's ears went back and she crossed her arms in irritation.

"You want to come along, don't you?" Issiah asked in a knowing voice.

"Maybe? Maybe I'm kind of tired of being my mothers punching bag when she gets mad. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity after all." Belle told them with a little smile still on her face. She kept her arms behind her back and started lightly twisting her hips.

Firedrake looked back at Sorrel before looking at Issiah. "You all know my opinion!" Sorrel threw her arms up.

"She is human and she can help us find our way back." Issiah pointed out.

"That is true." Firedrake looked at Belle. "You can help us get back to Peoria?"

"Of course I can!" Belle smiled widely at them and clapped her hands happily. "since you guys helped me, I'll help you guys every step of the way if you want!"

Issiah and Firedrake shared a look with one another. "She can ride on my back if she wants." Issiah offered and Firedrake's ears twitched at Issiah before he shrugged.

"Very well. We need to leave now. No more dilly-dallying, Ben and Ivan are probably worried sick about us." Firedrake urged. Belle skipped on over to Issiah. She then carefully made her way up Issiah's back by climbing up and sitting proudly at the base of his spine close to his head.

Belle then suddenly tugged on Issiah's left ear that made him turn to look at her. Belle smiled again at him and her face was so bright he wouldn't be surprised if he could see it in the dark. "I want to say, this little adventure of ours is going to be great."

* * *

"Okay, now this-" Twigleg paused for a moment and started to sign to Rosa. "-Means bird. Trust me when I say you're going to want to know that one... birds like to swoop at us, small people..."

Rosa was actually a pretty fast learner Twigleg noted as Rosa was grasping on to the things he was signing fairly well. Of course, she wasn't an expert at it yet, her signing was still sloppy and a little harsh as well. Everything she signed was almost violent in the way she did it, her signing was too hard and it just made it seem like she was almost yelling at him. So, after getting reassurance that she was not angry at him, Twigleg was doing what he could to make her be more gentle with her signing. Rosa moved her arms about suddenly getting Twigleg to pay attention to her.

"My mistress, she does not know this language-" Rosa both spoke and signed before she could finish Twigleg cut her off.

"Then make her learn it. She needs to know if she wants to talk to you." Twigleg signed to her only, hoping that she understood. It seemed like she did for the most part as she frowned a little at him in response to that.

"I don't know. I can't force her to do anything. After all, she made me." Rosa didn't sign she just spoke.

"And? Humans make children all the time. If their child becomes deaf then they must accommodate for that disability, if their child cannot see then they accommodate for that as well. What I'm saying here is that Esmeralda must accommodate for you as well. Either she will learn or she won't understand you." Twigleg signed to her simply. Rosa frowned at this but didn't sign anything back leaving the two of them in silence.

Twigleg looked around. The two of them were still on the last steps of the stairs with their legs dangling over the edge. The school felt so quiet, he just couldn't believe how this giant school has been up for years only to be abandoned.

"So, Rosa? How long have you and Esmeralda lived here?" Twigleg decided to ask in sign. Her brows furrowed for a moment as she seemed to be thinking about what Twigleg had just asked her. She then looked up at the ceiling and tapped her chin before finally looking back at him.

"I don't know. I know it hasn't been wrong." She signed. Twigleg sighed at her.

"Long." He corrected.

There was silence again, not a creak nor bang could be heard around the abandoned school. Twigleg looked at Rosa. She was wearing a pink dress, shorter than the Cinderella dress she had on and showed that she did own shoes, but these were just so clearly plastic Barbie flats, something that wouldn't be comfortable walking around in. Instantly Twigleg felt a bit of rage start to boil. Everything she owned was just from a Barbie doll collection even her bad was a hard plastic Barbie bed. _'If Esmeralda wanted a Barbie doll than Esmeralda should have stuck to her Barbie's! Whoa- hold up Twigleg… take a step back that might not be the case here.'_ He told himself to calm down pretty quickly. "Rosa. What caused you to end up here?" He decided to ask instead of immediately accusing Esmeralda of being a horrible person. He made sure to sign and speak clearly to her.

Rosa's brow furrowed again, but she didn't look too confused this time around, instead, she looked rather alarmed at the question. "I don't... know... My mistress just said 'We need to be here.'..." Rosa then put her face to her hands and squeezed her eyes tight. A small gasp of pain escaped her mouth causing Twigleg to straighten up. She was in pain all of a sudden. She had her palms pressed tightly to her forehead and started to huddle up when Twigleg finally spoke up.

"What's wrong?"

Of course, he didn't get a response as she didn't see him. A couple of tiny sobs left her mouth then with no warning she curled herself into a ball and Twigleg, being the gentleman he knew to be, helped her lay down onto her side. She started to shiver and whimper even more. Twigleg felt afraid as Rosa curled up into a tight ball on the stairs. "Something... long..." Rosa suddenly did her best to sign. "Head... feels painful."

 _'A spontaneous headache just like that?'_ Twigleg gently reached over and started to pat her hair. He couldn't say anything to help her calm down as she wouldn't understand him. Rosa started to sniffle now, telling Twigleg that she couldn't take a sudden headache in stride and that she started to cry because of the wave of pain that just hit. This went on for almost five minutes he was sure of it. Twigleg had no idea what to do to help ease her pain. She was shaking violently, crying, and just all out looked horrible for those five minutes, it tugged at Twigleg's heartstrings. Then, the most concerning thing happened, she just went limp.

"Rosa!" Twigleg started to shake her shoulders violently. He moved her from her side so she was now facing him, Her eyes were closed and her skin was pale and clammy. "Rosa!" He gave her a good shake again. Twigleg's heart started to pound fearfully as he looked at Rosa, praying to god she didn't just die on him, but then suddenly she sucked in a deep breath and her eyes fluttered open. Her breathing was startled and fast. "What happened? Are you okay?" Twigleg desperately signed to her. Rosa sucked in several deep startled breaths before seeming to snap back just a little.

"My mistress! She must of had another... what's it called?... Episode?"

"What do you mean?"

"She..." Rosa put her hand to her head again. "She gets these headaches, when she gets them I get them this one was... bad, worse than the one she got before we came here."

"She has chronic headaches... and you can feel them?"

"Yes, sometimes. Only the really, really bad ones." Twigleg felt his brow did more than furrow at this point. _'I've... never heard of this before. Does she share her mistress's pain? I didn't think that's possible for a manikin to do.'_ Rosa gave out a happy little sigh. "But I'm better now." She signed before suddenly resting her head on Twigleg's shoulder. "oh, so tired..."

That was when Henry came running up to them at an upsetting pace. He skidded to a halt in front of the duo causing a loud clatter to echo around them when he stopped and caused a rock to skid. "We have a problem!" Henry yelled in a panic. "It's Lola! I just got a transmission from her she's got her plane stuck in a tree! She's not far! I need someone to help me get her unstuck before some human accidentally takes her and her plane!" Henry practically jumped up and down with worry.

"But the others aren't back!" Twigleg squeaked back to Henry.

"We won't be gone long! Please... I don't want something to happen to her!" Henry looked desperate. His little nose was quivering along with his little whiskers, his teeth were chattering together, and his eyes just pleaded with Twigleg to help him. Rosa patted Twigleg's arm to get his attention, and with the best of her abilities she signed to him:

"We help? Yes?" and gave him a soft little smile after she was done. Twigleg knew what needed to be done anyway. Lola was his friend after all, but at the same time he didn't want Rosa to go along. It didn't seem to dangerous, but he didn't want her to be climbing the tree and suddenly having a fainting spell on him again, but then Rosa touched his hand. "Yes?" She spoke this time around.

"Yes. Yes! We'll help! Show us where she is, Henry!"

"Follow me!" Henry spun and quickly took off on all fours. Twigleg and Rosa quickly went running after him. _'We won't be gone for too long, hopefully.'_ Twigleg gave himself hope as they rushed out of the school to find Lola and her plane.


	10. Chapter 10

Things could be on the better end of the spectrum Ben admitted as he sat awkwardly in the hospital ER waiting room. On his left was an older looking gentleman. He had a scraggly gray and white beard, dressed in an flannel and blue jeans combo with a baseball cap on his head. His left arm was in a sling. His face was pale and he seemed to have mucus running down his nose. On Ben's right was an empty seat as Ivan went to "Get some free hospital food."

Needless to say, the ambulance ride to the hospital was a little more than awkward. Ben had to use his puppy eyes to get Ivan to tell them that Esmeralda was his sibling.

Ivan wasn't happy. After Esmeralda had fainted Ivan wanted to just ditch her. "This is perfect Ben! Let's go back, grab Twigleg and run!" But Ben wasn't having it. He wasn't going to leave her fainted on the floor of some grocery store. Ben brought his knees up on the seat of the chair as he waited for Ivan to return. _'If he comes back... he better come back.'_ Ben thought rather angerly. Ivan's been a jerk lately and it's honestly ticking Ben off. Ben just couldn't understand why Ivan was acting the way he was. _'Is me?'_ A thought would pop up in Ben's mind every time Ivan would be snippy or just plain out rude about something as of late.

Ben was starting to feel cold now. Ben shivered a little and wished he had his jacket on him. Of course, he didn't bring one (It's summer!) at least he didn't think he brought one. _'Maybe I should check.'_ Goosebumps rose on Ben's flesh and so he shredded his backpack off and opened it. He was greeted with the box that Ivan was given by Mr. Hale. _'Heh, I actually kind of forgot about this.'_ Ben pulled the metal box out of his bag and whatever was in it rattled obnoxiously around. This told Ben something as he brought it up and rattled it again. He heard a couple of objects bang around. He had no idea how many things were in there but one sounded and felt heavy when it rattled.

"I got you bacon." Ivan walked up to Ben and placed a plastic container of bacon in front of him. Ben counted at least twenty strips of bacon in the container.

"Did you take _all_ of the bacon?" Ben asked in a playful quip.

"Nah, I left three strips, I'm not _that_ greedy." Ivan winked at Ben as he sat down next to him. Ben took a strip of bacon and slowly started to eat. This honestly showed Ben just how hungry he actually was. "I know you told me that Esme didn't want me to answer my phone, but I don't know why-" Ivan paused to take a bite of bacon. "Zen just hung up right away anyways."

"And isn't that a little odd? I don't know..." Ben scratched the back of his head before taking another strip of bacon. "I think there's something about Esmeralda."

"Well yeah, he's a weirdo-"

"Ivan." Ben's shoulders slumped and his eyes rolled. "Why can't you be nice to her?"

"Hey, I lied to the doctors to say she's my brother just so we can see him when he wakes and take him home. How much nicer do you want me to be?"

"Maybe start using the right pronoun?"

Ivan let out a bitter sigh before suddenly snatching the box from Ben's lap. "So, what do you think is in this?"

Before Ben could answer a nurse came out to the waiting room. She had a raised eyebrow as she looked at the paper in her hands. "Es-" the nurse paused as a small giggle left her mouth. "Esmeralda?"

Ben tapped Ivan on the shoulder and together they stood up. Ivan now holding the box in his hands while Ben snatched up the bacon. "Starved-" Ben cut himself off as he shoved another piece of bacon in his mouth. Ivan just chuckled in response as the two of them followed the nurse.

* * *

Twigleg hurried along with Rosa by his side. Henry was leading the two of them at a fast pace. "This way!" Henry urged the two of them. Twigleg noticed that, unlike Lola, Henry runs on all fours as quickly as he possibly can. So quick in fact that Twigleg had to ask him to slow down many times, but it showed Twigleg that Henry really seemed to care for Lola a great lot and... Twigleg didn't really know how to feel about that.

Did Twigleg ever have romantic feelings for Lola? He thought about it a couple of times, mostly when Ms. Guinevere brought it up one day with her out of the blue saying she'd think Lola and Twigleg make a 'good couple'. This was shortly after he had become smaller all those years ago. Twigleg never confessed his secret feelings for his master when he was that size, Atticus figured it out, but that was it. He'd be mortified if anyone else knew, especially his own master. The thing is when Twigleg became smaller again all romantic feelings went away. So, it made Twigleg wonder if he ever be in a relationship.

A relationship with Rosa didn't seem too bad but then the question of 'why' came to his mind. Why be in one? Yes, he and Rosa are (most likely) the last two homunculi in existence but that doesn't really mean much as homunculi cannot reproduce. No, They have to solely rely on their creators for that. If they wanted siblings then that was up to their creators to decide.

"We're almost there! She's in that tree!" Henry stopped abruptly making Twigleg and Rosa stop. Henry pointed forward to a giant tree off in the distance. Twigleg felt his little heart drop to his stomach. Not because, even from this distance, he could see Lola's candy red plane against the green of the leaves on the tree, not because there were clearly teenagers actually stacking on each other's shoulders to get the plane out of the tree and to claim it as their own, but because this tree was in the middle of a very populated and busy park.

"Are you crazy! We'll get caught!" Twigleg hissed at Henry.

"No, we won't! If we run fast enough they won't notice us!"

"They'll notice _us_." Twigleg pointed to himself than to Rosa. "We stand out more than a rat."

Henry wasn't listening, instead he looked forward to the tree and Twigleg could see why. The teens were stacked high, at least four people high and almost to the plane as the one at the very top of their little tower could just graze Lola's plane with their fingertips. "Well stay here and be afraid then! I'm stopping them!" With that, Henry took off running as fast as could down the middle of the busy park.

Rosa, who might not have been following along as Twigleg wasn't speaking in sign language and she couldn't see his lips, took off right after Henry. "We help!" She called back to Twigleg. _'Oh... darn it!'_ Twigleg thought as he soon gave chase after Rosa. He didn't want to see her get hurt. Rosa tried to keep up with Henry's fast pace as the rat was now running as fast as he could so she was lagging behind. People were walking all over the place and all three of them had to stop and do their best to dodge the humans.

Twigleg wasn't that far behind Rosa, still, for someone in a dress, she sure could run fast. Twigleg knew for a fact that he had longer legs than her. Skidding to a halt just as a foot came stomping down in front of him Twigleg fell back on his behind and curled up a little to protect himself. Twigleg felt his hand being grabbed after one second or two of being curled up on the dirt. "Twig come!" Rosa urged him up to his feet. Twigleg wasn't even halfway to the tree. Still, Rosa wasn't going to give up so easily it seemed as she urged Twigleg to move forward and do not stop.

It was at this point that what Rosa didn't have in hearing she made up with her eyesight as she was almost expertly dodging around the people with her leading Twigleg now. As they were quickly rushing closer towards the tree Twigleg heard a scream and he quickly stopped in fear of being spotted by someone but shortly following that scream he heard several loud _'thumps'_ and cries of pain. Then it just became a stampede of people all rushing to the tree. Twigleg couldn't see what happened, but he had a good idea when he heard a teenager shriek out: "Rat! Oh my god, it's a rat!"

This followed by the same stampede of people quickly rushing away, some of them grabbing their children in fear. _'It's just a rat!'_ Twigleg thought in amusement by the people's reaction. However, he soon discovered that he couldn't stay amused for long as the people were coming his and Rosa's way. "This way!" Rosa grabbed Twigleg's hand again and started to lead him to the left where the swings, slides, and playset were. He's been to a playground in the UK a few times, it uses to be a hang out for Ben and Guinevere after school. The playground in the UK had bits of rubber for a soft blow when kids would run and play, but in America, it seemed that these playgrounds have woodchips. _'That'll hurt them if they fall!'_ Twigleg couldn't help but think like him and Rosa rushed to the safety of the playset to hide under until the chaos stopped. The woodchips were not only hard but somewhere pointy! This was most certainly unsafe!

Thankfully they made it under the shade of the metal playset where they were hidden away for the time being. "You're fast." Twigleg signed to Rosa before placing his hands on his bony knees to catch his breath for the moment.

"You're too slow," Rosa commented back. Twigleg looked back up at her and Rosa had just the tiniest smirk on her face before she signed: "I'm in a dress-" She paused briefly before speaking the rest as it seemed she forgotten what she was trying to sign. "-And faster."

Twigleg smiled and gave her a little breathy laugh. Rosa smiled back in a cute fashion. Together they walked over to the other side of the playset where the tree was. Rosa flipped some of her long pink hair over her shoulder, Twigleg could feel her eyes stare at him for a moment. "Too many?" She signed. Too many people were what she wanted to know. Yeah, some more people had crowded around the tree now, Lola's plane was still stuck in the tree, so that means that Henry must have climbed the tree piquing the humans' interest. Twigleg stood there for a few seconds.

First, he thought about running through the humans legs, which could work, but then he realized if they climbed the tree they'd be spotted. It seemed like the humans were surrounding the tree at almost every angle which would make climbing the tree near impossible. So, for a few fleeting minutes, Twigleg felt almost at a complete and total loss at what to do.

That was until Lola's plane was suddenly pushed out of the tree and started up very loudly. Twigleg only watched in shock as the humans witnessed just what he did. Henry was riding on the back of Lola's plane, and... they just flew away out of the park. "..." Twigleg, still stunned, watched them go with a bit of horror on his face. Rosa tugged on Twigleg's sleeve to get his attention. "They come back-" she sloppily signed. "-For us?"

"Uh... well..." Twigleg watched as the plane just became a little speck in the distance within only seconds and a horrible sense of dread filled inside of him. "I... hope so because I can't remember the way back to the school."

* * *

"Firedrake!"

It was a distant echo that made Firedrake perked his head up quickly. His ears flickered wildly, had he heard wrong? Standing up from his spot on the forest floor Firedrake kept his ears perked up for a few moments after a few fleeting minutes he honestly thought he was just hearing things until.

"Over here!"

"Ben!" Firedrake felt joy flood his body. There was no doubting it, it was Ben! He knew his rider's voice anywhere. Leaving Sorrel, Issiah, and Belle, behind he quickly ran forward. His running felt _weird._ He watched as the world moved by him fast, but his running felt sluggish and unnatural. The moonlight was fading more now as he ran. The forest was becoming darker.

"Firedrake! Help!" Ben's voice became despite and worrisome. It tugged at Firedrake's heartstrings as he tried to pick up the pace faster but his running remained oddly slow. Still, even though his running was slow Firedrake knew that he was getting deeper in the forest now, there was no moonlight and he couldn't see a thing... except for an opening in the forest. The moonlight was shining straight down in this opening, it was the only light Firedrake could see now. So, with no light to lead him back, Firedrake walked forward into the small illuminated circle.

"Ben?-" Before Firedrake could finish saying Ben's name he heard the sound of someone rushing away to the left of him, followed by a loud child-like giggle. Firedrake craned his neck around to see who had run from him, but he saw nothing and his ears lowered in disappointment. "Ben? Where are you-"

"Boo!" Firedrake had to admit, Ben did scare him as he ran up to Firedrake and placed both of his hands on Firedrake's paw. "Gotcha!" Ben smiled in a cheeky fashion. The twelve-year-old looking as lively as ever.

"Yes, yes you did." Firedrake laughed before nuzzling Ben's stomach affectionately. _'Something isn't right about this...'_ Firedrake's mind told him. Ben reached up and held Firedrake's face with his hands before smiling and bringing his face forward. Ben rested his head on Firedrake's and let out a very long sigh.

"Finding me isn't going to be so easy..." Ben suddenly spoke, his voice becoming deeper now. Ben pulled his face away from Firedrakes. Ben's face changed, he was no longer happy and youngish. His eyes looked tired, he had heavy black bags under his eyes now, his curly hair now frizzled out even more than normal. _'What is...'_ Firedrake looked down to see Ben missing his right arm. "Firedrake." Ben was moving away. He was becoming farther away.

"Ben! Wait!" Firedrake called to him hoping that his rider would just stop, but he didn't. He was gone within seconds. Nowhere to be seen. This left Firedrake alone in the dark forest. The moon now went away from him. Firedrake was alone in the dark.

"You're going the wrong way..." Ben's voice softly echoed around Firedrake making the dragon confused.

Confused enough to wake him up from his dream.

"Bad dream?" Belle asked Firedrake in a cute manner. The human girl had both of her hands behind her back and smiled at Firedrake. It was almost... creepy the way she looked. It almost made Firedrake think she was forcefully smiling so to make it seem like nothing was wrong.

"Uh... yeah..." Firedrake admitted to her. He heard Sorrel grumble lowly before the brownie popped her head up from behind Firedrake's back. The brownie seemed to be glaring a Belle, Sorrel's ears low and flat against her head before she slowly sank back down behind Firedrake. "But, I'm fine."

"Was it about Ben?" Belle asked in a slow voice that made Firedrake's ear perk. He never mentioned Ben to her. He mentioned that he and Issiah had gone missing from their riders but he never mentioned Ben's name. It seemed like Belle had read his mind because she quickly laughed, but the laugh wasn't natural by any means. "Oh, I'm sorry. Issiah told me their names!"

There was something off about Belle. Something that made Firedrake honestly feel a little uneasy around her. He felt his brow furrow a bit as he continued to stare at her. _'You're going the wrong way...'_ Ben's voice echoed around Firedrake's head. Belle turned back around to face Issiah about to walk away from Firedrake. "Right..." Firedrake sighed out and stood up a little more fully so he was looking down at Belle, this caused her to turn back around to look at him. Firedrake is a gentle dragon, he- and everyone- knew this, however; that's not going to stop him from being intimidating when need be. "Belle, I need to ask. Are you _sure_ we're going the right way?"

"Thank goodness you ask!" Sorrel piped up loudly. Of course, the brownie has always been uneasy about Belle since day one and the fact that they seem to be flying for a day and a half now and have _yet_ to reach Illinois is telling Firedrake that Belle has no clue where they are... or she's _lying._

Belle's eyes flickered for a moment, her unnatural smile faltered, and her breath seemed to quicken.

"Honestly, Firedrake. Just because she's not your rider doesn't mean she's knows nothing, now." Issiah suddenly spoke up for Belle. This caused the girl to relax just a little, and this also caused tensions to grow even more.

"Now, Issiah, I never said she knew nothing. I'm asking her a question because we seem to be going nowhere real fast." Firedrake quickly retaliated to Issiah.

Issiah snorted at Firedrake, little sparks of red fire leaving his nose, "She says we'll be in Illinois by tomorrow. Okay?! Why can't you just trust her on this."

"Why are you blindly trusting her?" Firedrake countered with a little snort of his own.

"I'm not _blindly_ trusting her." Issiah's voice became tense a snarl on his lips showing his teeth to Firedrake. Sorrel sensed the uneasiness and quickly hopped on to Firedrake's back for safety. "I'm putting faith in her. I'm sorry that she's not _Ben."_

Firedrake noticed the obvious distaste in Issiah's voice that just made Firedrake's claws dig into the soil below.

"O... okay..." Belle whispered out uneasily she was starting to shake a little. "L-Let's not let this get out of-" She tried to resolve the issue before her, her voice quivering like that of a scared child. Firedrake actually ignored her, he didn't care what she had to say now he wanted to know what Issiah wanted to say.

"Do you have something against Ben, Issiah?" Firedrake poked Issiah, he knows this, he knows he was urging this fight to continue. Normally Firedrake wouldn't fight like this, he knew better than to encourage a fight between dragons because dragon fights rarely end well-

he remembered when he was just a tiny dragon, just a hatchling, his own father got into a quarrel with another silver dragon over something that Firedrake couldn't even remember. The two dragons started to fight, they didn't take to the air, but instead, they started rolling on the ground trying to bite and scratch at each other. Firedrake never saw his own father snap in rage like that before. The ground shook with both of the massive dragons trying to slam the other down. It was Firedrake's father that stopped the fight before it got too far as his father had the other dragon pinned but before he could make the killing blow... he got up and off of the dragon.

After a good, while his father took Firedrake to the side and explained to him that: "When a dragon is so enraged with another dragon they just see red and want the other dead. You know that our fire causes stone when we become angry, but the stone fire doesn't work on other dragons, at least not ones like us, son. You mustn't let your anger get too far, I don't think a dragon could ever recover from being so violent that they'd murder one of their own."

Those words stuck with Firedrake and made him normally be the peacekeeper in certain situations.

But this was starting to become one of those situations where he just couldn't keep peace and depending on Issiah's answer, this might get very ugly very fast.

"Firedrake... be careful," Sorrel spoke in a low tone. She knew exactly what was at stake.

Issiah just stared Firedrake down for a few very tense heartbeats. Issiah had his own black claws digging into the earth now as it was clear that he was trying to hold back his rage. Issiah wasn't like Firedrake, Firedrake knew this because Issiah _wasn't_ one his own. Issiah was a different dragon with different dragon fire, So, he knew for a fact that if they did wind up fighting there was a good chance that one of them might not make it out alive. Issiah seemed to know this as well as he might be thinking his actions over.

"Don't fight! Please!" Belle yelled out in desperation to the both of them. "I don't like fighting!" Belle pulled at the ends of her hair. Her smile was no longer there as a big frown had replaced it, her eyes had tears just on the edge of spilling over. This made Firedrake blink, this was the first time since they met her that Belle seemed to show some sort of actual emotion that threw Firedrake for a loop. The way her voice cracked, the way she was tugging on her hair, the way she almost seemed to be crying, it told Firedrake one thing and one thing only.

"... We're not fighting... I was just going to say, Firedrake. If this were Sorrel or Ben giving us these directions-" Issiah paused for a moment before allowing Belle to climb up on to his back. "-You wouldn't even question them about it, I'm sure." Then without another word he walked away with Belle on his back now. Firedrake just let them go. Belle was clearly crying now, it was soft, but it was there. Still, as they walked away, Firedrake felt all his tense muscles relax once they were far enough away from him. Firedrake let out a low sigh.

"That Issiah is just asking for a fight! I swear!" Sorrel hissed angrily. She then patted Firedrake's scales in a soothing matter hoping to get him to remain in a calm state.

"But, Sorrel. He's not wrong. If it were you or Ben giving us these directions... I wouldn't even question it."

"So, why are you questioning it?"

"Because I'm almost certain that this 'Belle' is lying to us."

"Then let's leave," Sorrel whispered urgently into Firedrake's ear. "If Issiah wants to follow her into the trap, then that's on him-"

"-Sorrel... You know we can't think like that. Even if Issiah has shone some less than desirable attitude as of late that doesn't mean we leave him behind to be captured. He might not be a silver dragon, but he is a dragon nonetheless. It's our duty to help him-"

"But... Ben-"

"Ben... will have to wait."

* * *

"It's honestly a no-brainer why he fainted or even have such horrible headaches that you've told me about." The doctor told Ben as he flipped up the pages of Esmeralda's chart.

Esmeralda was in a shared room with one other person. Esmeralda was still passed out asleep.

"She." Ben corrected and the Doctor just clearly didn't care what Ben had to say. Of course, what should Ben expect by this point?

"He's extremely underfed, malnourished, clearly hasn't seen sunlight in weeks or months even..." The doctor gave a low sigh as he flipped the pages down now. "So, I would suggest giving him some vitamin D pills..." And then the doctor started to talk about what Esmeralda needed, but Ben stopped paying attention. Not because it was boring, or because he didn't care, but because the man that was sitting across from Esmeralda's bed, the one in a bed of his own started moaning in obvious pain. Enough pain that it made Ben stopped and turn his head to look over at the bed.

"-Are you listening to me?" The doctor spoke up, not just to Ben, but Ivan (who never really cared to start with) as well.

"Yeah, yeah- get him on a carb-heavy diet, vitamin D pills, and melatonin," Ivan spoke up with a hand wave. The man the bed let out another loud moan of pain making Ben cringe. The person sounded like they were legitimately hurt and... the doctor just didn't care. He just turned and walked away from them and out of the door making Ben tsk out.

"Oh!" Ben huffed once the door shut.

"What?"

The other patient moaned out again, this one deep and painfilled. "That! The poor guy clearly needs some sort of attention and the doctor just walks out? What a wank!" Ben threw his hands up. Ivan only shrugged in response to Ben's outburst.

"American doctors suck." The man let out one very loud groan and Ben clenched his fist before turning and opening the divider. "-Ben" Ivan tried but it was just going to fall on deaf ears anyway, so Ben was sure he just didn't even bother after that. Ben carefully walked up to the bed.

The man was close to Ben's own age. He had dark brown hair that almost matched his own dark skin, his eyes matched his hair- well... his one eye did anyway. He only had one eye while the other was a milky white. This poor guy had scars up and down his face, arms, and body. _'What the hell happened to him?!'_ Ben thought as his eyes went wide just witnessing this. As the more he looked the more wrong he noticed. Not only was he missing an eye, but he was also missing two fingers on his left hand and his index finger on his right hand both hands still bandaged up. The man had had a breathing tube in his nose, but obviously, his mouth wasn't covered. The man focused his one eye on Ben before he cringed suddenly and let out another groan of pain. Ben saw that his right as clutching his side. "Do you need a nurse?" Ben whispered to the man. The man nodded and Ben quickly looked for the remote for the man to call the nurse with, but of course the remote wasn't where it should have been, in front of the bed, but behind the bed where the man couldn't reach it. Ben happily grabbed the remote from behind the bed and pressed the button for a nurse.

"W'ter." The man whispered suddenly making Ben spin around.

"What?"

"Wata… 'lease..."

Ben understood fairly quickly and snatched his water bottle up from the nearby table. Carefully Ben tipped the water bottle up and gave the stranger a few little sips of water. He didn't want to overwhelm the guy with water so he just gave him little careful sips. Finally, after a few moments of this Ben was sure he had enough. "T-Thanks..." The man breathed heavily before groaning loudly again in pain. Ivan came on over, but he just completely ignored the guy and just snatched his chart up and started reading.

"Kind of rude," Ben responded gently to Ivan's antics. He then focused on the guy. The guy's eyes were just so full of pain Ben was sure if he could curl up in a ball he would, but the wires prevented him from doing so. "Where is that nurse-" Ben was ready to leave and demand someone to come in here but then The man reached up and grabbed Ben's hand suddenly.

"Don't..." The man panted heavily. "Don't leave me, please... I 'on't want to be alone again..." He practically begged for Ben to stay.

"Jesus!" Ivan yelled out suddenly. "What _haven't_ you been through?" Ivan asked the man before looking at Ben and just shaking his head. "I'll get a nurse!" With that, Ivan put the chart back and quickly ran off. _'It must be bad...'_ Ben thought rather sadly. The man tightened his hand around Ben's hand and let out a shuttering breath.

"It's okay, We're getting a nurse soon enough." Ben wanted to read the guy's chart just so he could get the man's name, but asking would just have to do. "What's your name?" Ben asked him carefully. After this wave of pain seemed the stop the man looked up at Ben and swallowed hard.

"Winston, you?"

"Benjamin."

"Benjamin... I like that name..."

"Thanks, I like yours as well."

After that, a nurse _finally_ came on in with Ivan leading her towards Winston. The nurse quickly took control of the situation, but not before literally ripping Ben away from Winston and shutting the divider with some attitude. Ben heard her mutter something along the lines of "Nosey fuckers."

"What was wrong with him?" Ben whispered as quietly as he could to Ivan.

"Well... from what I picked up from reading his chart... the poor guy was completely tortured. The scars? Ben, I know you didn't recognize them, but I did, half of those were made with whips, on the chart it showed that he was hit with a blunt object meaning the pain he was feeling was from a broken rib most likely- that's not the only thing. Ben... something isn't-" The divider was pulled open silencing Ivan. The nurse stormed forward and put her hands on her hips she then stood in front of both of them with an angry expression on her face.

"Keep your nose out of other people's business! That divider is up for a reason and I expect you to realize that!" With that, she left slamming the door behind her. Ben, out of petty, got up and opened the divider. Instantly he narrowed his eyes when he saw the nurses remote was, once again, stashed behind the bed.

"Ben... I say we get the hell out of here... something isn't right. This hospital... it's not right." Ivan spoke up in a worried tone.

"Ivan... I'm not leaving Winston behind."

"Ben-"

"-No, please listen to me. That man... he needs someone to help him, Esmeralda needs someone to help her as well. They both need help. Whoever hurt him could be coming back to get him, I don't want that and I'm sure neither do you... how much medicine do you think you could steal from the hospital?" Ben whispered. Ivan thought for a moment.

"Depends, looking for hardcore shit? or-"

"No. Get simple things. Nothing hardcore; that will raise suspicion."

"Okay, give me an hour."


	11. Chapter 11

It was Belle's soft whispering words that woke Sorrel from her slumber. _'Belle is talking to someone. Someone that isn't Issiah.'_ Sorrel thought as she heard Belle's softly talking to somebody. Sorrel knew she wasn't talking to Issiah because the dragon was fast asleep on a patch of burnt earth to keep himself warm. Also, Firedrake was fast asleep as well, so, just who was she talking to? Sorrel's ears went back as she forced herself up to her feet and quietly walked over towards where the sound was coming from.

The closer she got the more clear Belle's words were becoming.

"I don't- please! He's nice!... I-"

Sorrel's ears stayed back as she knew she was close enough but she just... she wanted to get closer. So she did and she could finally see Belle. Belle had a rectangle pressed against her ear (Ben called them 'Cell phones'?). She had her back turned to Sorrel, so Sorrel couldn't see her, but she could tell by her frantic scared voice and by Belle's tense shoulders that she didn't like what she was listening to on the other side.

"-You're not listening to me! You neve- I _will_... this isn't fair!-" Sorrel narrowed her eyes as a scared little breath left Belle's voice and she started to nervously twist the hem of her dress in her hands. "-Yo-You did what? Ma-... oh my god... but that's a death wish... no- no- please." Her voice turned pleading now as it was clear that Belle was crying. "-I want out! I want out!" Belle started crying louder now. "Don't send the vampire after me! You're gonna get me _killed, Mama!"_

 _'Vampire? Atticus?'_ He was the only vampire Sorrel knew of but that didn't mean he was the only vampire in the world of course. Still even if by some very, very rare chance it was Atticus (highly unlikely) what motivation would he have to come after Belle in the start? _'Also... did she say Mama? As in the mother who beat her?'_ Sorrel had many questions on her mind with not a lot of answers.

"-Okay! I'll do it! I'll do it! Please... don't send the vampire my way!" It honestly sounded like her mom had a vampire just waiting to kill Belle at this point. Sorrel almost wanted to just botch it up as 'crazy' at this point, because that's what Belle was sounding right now. Crazy... but then Belle finished her phone call with "... We'll be in Detroit by morning be ready because two dragons aren't going to be easy to capture."

 _'I knew it!'_ Sorrel didn't care if she made a noise she turned and darted. Of course, the shuffling of her paws on the ground made Belle realize that she was found out for the liar she was. _'Curse that Issiah! I knew she was up to no good from the start.'_

"Sorrel! Wait!" She heard Belle call for her but Sorrel didn't stop, she wasn't dumb. Nope, she went straight to Firedrake.

"Wake up! Both of you!" Sorrel screamed in her mild panic. Firedrake was at his feet immediately, but Issiah let out a very unhappy grunt at being woken up. Sorrel scrambled up Firedrake's spine and made it all the way to the top of his head in just seconds all while giving Belle a very angry hiss. "She's planning on kidnapping us! She's in cahoots with... someone! I don't know who yet!"

"I'm not!" Belle tried to defend herself but Sorrel wasn't having it.

"Liar! Filthy dirty liar!"

"Hey," That got Issiah to his feet for sure. He was super quick to defend Belle. "Sorrel there's no need for that-"

"-No need?! Are you dense!? Dumb!? She's been planning this from the start! She's _using_ you Issiah! She's planning on taking us! We aren't anywhere near Illinois we're near a place called Detroit! Where are we really?!" Sorrel snarled to Belle.

Issiah gave Belle a look of concern and Belle quickly backed up with her hands up. "You're wrong!" Belle spoke loudly but her voice was on the side of shaky and uncertain. Firedrake looked at Belle then to Sorrel.

"Sorrel are you-"

"Yes, I'm sure. I would _never_ lie to you about this. You know this and I know this Firedrake!" Sorrel wanted to smack Firedrake for even thinking she would lie to him about this. Firedrake's then shot Issiah a look. For a moment nothing was said between the two of them as Issiah's own ears were back in irritation at Firedrake and Sorrel.

"Issiah, I've been patient these last couple of days, but I am afraid I can't be any longer she _has_ to go!"

Issiah's nostrils flared open once those words left Firedrake's mouth. Sorrel felt a tingle go down her spine at that as Issiah's pupils turned into a cat's diamonds and his claws dug into the ground. "Absolutely not!" Issiah fought with such an intensity that it made Sorrel duck just in case he was going to throw a fireball at them.

"Issiah, what's gotten into you lately? You have to know on some level that Belle is lying to us- no- to you! What is it? Why are you always taking her side? If I recall correctly: when you brought her to me injured you said 'heal her so we can send her on her way!'." Firedrake shook his head from side to side before letting out a sigh of mild irritation. "I trust Sorrel way more than I trust her, and I told you yesterday she's been leading us in the wrong direction! I'm sorry, but I'm not allowing it anymore, I don't know about you but I don't want to be locked up again!" Firedrake snorted.

Issiah looked down for a moment before looking back at Belle. Belle had gone pale and clammy. Her hands were shaking as well. _'Well, I'll be... he has pity for something...'_ Sorrel thought once she saw the look on Issiah's face. It was most certainly a look of pity. Issiah then shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving her."

Firedrake's ears went down in sympathy. "Then... I pity you Issiah. Sorrel and I cannot go with Belle any longer." Firedrake looked back at Sorrel. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Ready!? I've been ready for three days now!"

Issiah let out a loud scoffing laugh at that. "You pity me?! If there's anybody you should pity it's your pathetic excuse for a dragon rider!"

It wasn't Sorrel to react first to the blatant disrespect towards Ben, but it was Firedrake. Firedrake finally had enough and with one mighty blow with his paw, he struck Issiah hard enough to send the blue dragon down to his side. Belle let out a loud gasp and brought her hands up to her face. Issiah hit the ground hard enough for it to shake the ground all around them. The birds flew quickly from their treetops, small animals went running away from them, and the whole forest just went dead quiet. If anyone stayed it would be to see how a fight between two dragons would pan out. "Don't you _dare_ talk about Benjamin like that!" Firedrake completely snapped at Issiah. "He's done and been through so much more than you could even dare to think of!"

Issiah didn't spring to his feet quite so quickly. It seemed the sudden attack must have stunned him. After a few seconds, he finally pushed himself off of the ground. The cheek that Firedrake had struck had three deep bleeding gashes on Issiah's face. Issiah brought his paw up and seemed to try and wipe the blood off but all he did was smear it against his face. Several loud angry short tempered snorts left Issiah's nose all in a row then slowly smoke started to leave his nostrils he then looked up at Firedrake now. Sorrel had half a mind to chuck a good sized rock at Issiah's head for his comment but she held back. For now anyways.

"Ben was so useless he couldn't even save his arm! and you know what? I don't feel sorry for him at all! He _deserved it!_ " Issiah spoke in a very loud and clear voice at the end of his sentence and that sent Firedrake over the edge.

Firedrake got down on all fours so suddenly that Sorrel fell off of his back and in one mad lunge he attacked Issiah. "Firedrake! No!" Sorrel yelled to get him to stop but it was too late. At first, it was just a flurry of teeth and claws as the two were constantly hitting the ground and causing it to shake brutally.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Belle screamed as she covered her ears with her hands and screwed her eyes shut.

Issiah scratched at Firedrake's head at first causing several small cuts to form. Firedrake used all of his body weight to push Issiah against a tree pinning the blue dragon between the tree and Firedrake's shoulder. The two of them roared loudly at one another. So loudly that Sorrel had to cover her ears as she felt her own eardrums rattle almost on the verge of bursting. Issiah snapped his jaws and grabbed Firedrakes ear with his teeth and just tugged as hard as he could. All Sorrel heard was Firedrake's loud roar of pain before hearing Firedrake breath fire directly on Issiah. This caused Issiah to roar out.

" _Stop it! Please stop it!"_ Belle continued to shriek as loudly as she possibly could.

It was Issiah's turn to breathe fire, but unlike Firedrake's fire, this one actually did hurt as orange red-hot flames came out of Issiah's mouth and hit Firedrake's side. Sorrel could see Firedrake's scales turn black against the orange flames and Sorrel felt afraid for Firedrake if he gets a serious burn from Issiah-

Sorrel picked up a decent sized rock, spat on it, and chucked it directly into Issiah's eye. "Leave him alone!" Sorrel shouted to Issiah. Issiah roared once again in pain. This helped Firedrake as he grabbed Issiah by the neck and actually brought the other dragon down to the ground. Issiah was on his back now and it was clear that he wasn't going down without a fight. Firedrake placed his own paw on Issiah's neck forcing his head back into the forest floor and with a simple snap of his jaws, Firedrake showed his teeth to Issiah and... Issiah stopped fighting at that moment once he realized he was at Firedrake's mercy at this point. A bright fire burned in Firedrake's eyes as he glared down at Issiah a deep enraged hatred.

Sorrel couldn't help but notice just how Issiah looked like a scared kitten beneath Firedrake now. His paws were tucked in, his claws no longer out, a look of absolute fear seemed to spread over his face once he realized that Firedrake wasn't taking it from him anymore. "Fire-" Issiah almost seemed to beg but Firedrake went down fast and snapped his teeth loudly. "-W-Wait!" Issiah now begged and this was what made Sorrel actually gasp out in surprise. Issiah never begged, never. Not when he was in James's custody at least he never begged for his life or asked for it to stop and... it worked Firedrake stopped but he had blue flames licking at this lips showing he still ready to fight if needed. "You don't want to do this Firedrake."

"You insulted my rider!" Firedrake literally butted his head against Issiah's so they were literally eye to eye. "I have every right to end you here and now if needed!"

"I... I'm sorry you feel that way... but I wish to live to see my rider another day."

"If you wish for that then you will take back what you said to Ben and leave Belle behind."

"I can't do either of those things, Firedrake."

"Then!... I leave you to the human's mercy." Firedrake then got off of Issiah and started to walk away again. "Come along Sorrel we aren't staying here any longer," Firedrake told his friend sternly. Sorrel wasted no time scrambling up Firedrake's back. Before he walked away he looked at the cowering Belle before turning back to Issiah one last time. "I really do pity you, Issiah." With that, they broke away from the other two and Sorrel felt relief and guilt way on her.

Relief that they were away from Belle, guilt from leaving Issiah behind. But Sorrel knew better than to let the guilt get to her this time as Issiah was doing this to himself and himself alone. Like Firedrake all Sorrel knew was just pity for Issiah at this point. Pure bitter pity.

* * *

At first, Twigleg tried to pass the time between him and Rosa. He continued his teachings to her in an attempt to distract himself and her as well, but he could only distract himself from the truth for so long. Once the sun was starting to set he had to face the cold hard truth. "They aren't coming back." He signed pitifully to Rosa.

"Then we walk!" Rosa responded in her normal loud fashion. Twigleg had to grab her hands with his own.

"I don't know the way back." He informed her again. "Do you?"

"No... but we still try!" She tried to encourage him. "We know we came from that way!" She pointed down the street from the direction they did indeed come from. "So, we try! We don't just sit here! Your Master and my Mistress must be scared for us!"

 _'She is right...'_ Twigleg realized. Ben must be worried off his rocker. "Alright... let's go." He signed to her. She smiled and turned sharply. Together they started walking, but nothing was said right away and this just left Twigleg with his own thoughts... and they were not happy thoughts at all. _'You say Ben is worried, but you're wrong. Don't forget he **forgot** you on this trip of his. You know he starting to love Ivan more than he's loving you. It's just so obvious that those two are in love... both just don't see it.'_ Twigleg tried to give his head a good hard shake. How dare he think like that! He shouldn't think like that... but he does. He feels horrible. Is it his own jealousy? Is he not really mad at Ben but mad at the fact that someone else has Ben's affection now? _'Talk to Rosa think of something else. Anything.'_ Twigleg quickly turned to Rosa and waved his hand to get her attention. It worked. He quickly asked a question. "You feel Esmeralda's pain?" He quickly signed.

Rosa nodded.

"How? I don't feel Ben's pain."

"We're not completely alike, Twigleg."

"But I never felt my original master's pain either."

"Original master?"

"Well... yeah. My creator."

Rosa's face shown confusion for a moment or two before she just tilted her head. "We can have more than one?"

"More than one? Creator?"

"No, Masters?"

"Well... yes, but you must really love a human to give them your heart. If you give them your heart you die when they die... didn't you give your heart to your creator?"

"My... heart?" She asked audibly now before placing her hand over her chest. Her confusion only grew now and Twigleg felt himself swallow hard at this. Of course, she wouldn't know everything he knew. She didn't spend centuries upon centuries reading books as he did.

"It's okay if you didn't. I didn't either, but I did give my heart to Ben. When he dies... I will die."

Rosa looked... almost hurt at that. Before she suddenly turned downright angry. "Why would you want to live as long as a human? Wouldn't you want to live longer?" She asked him in an astonished voice.

"Rosa, I lived long enough. I... I can't imagine my life without Ben. He's so kind, and thoughtful, and a wonderful friend to have."

"Lived long enough?... Twigleg how old are you?" She finally asked him.

"Rosa, I've been around for over three hundred years. When Ben dies I will happily be there to die with him at this point."

Rosa stopped suddenly this caused Twigleg to stop just ahead of her. "What's wrong?" He signed carefully to her. _'Had I upset her?'_ He wondered to himself. Rosa than put her hand on her chest before her brow furrowed in confusion once again.

"Did I not get a choice in my heart?" She asked aloud. "Was my heart fused with hers? Is that why I feel what she feels?"

"What do you feel right now?" Twigleg could tell that something was wrong with Esmeralda at this point as Rosa had an almost scared look on her face.

"Afraid. I think. Something's happening- no, I feel... betrayal? I don't know! We have to hurry!" Rosa now took off in a sprint causing Twigleg to go running after her.

"What do you mean betrayal?" Twigleg breathed heavily as he did his best to keep up with her. Of course, she didn't hear him as he didn't sign to her and she was looking straight ahead trying her best to remember just which way the school was. Twigleg tried to keep his eyes out for any familiar buildings that they had run by in hopes of finding the school faster but nothing stuck out to him.

For minutes they just ran forward until they were forced to stop at a fork in the road. They could go left or right both ways seem to be surrounded by homes and houses but not a single one looked familiar to Twigleg. Twigleg and Rosa both looked around frantically in hopes of finding something _anything_ that looks familiar. At first, Twigleg thought with Rosa's good eyesight she'd find something that looked somewhat familiar, but she found nothing just like him. "Let's go... right." Twigleg finally decided to take the lead. If he was wrong then he was wrong and they could turn around but he knew that standing there would get them nowhere. Rosa nodded and they started off towards the right.

They didn't get too far when Twigleg felt something heavy and wet hit his head; before he could properly react it was downpouring rain now. _'Because... of course.'_ Twigleg thought bitterly as the rain continued to pour down harder and harder completely soaking the two of them within seconds. However; it seemed with the rain came a small silver lining. At least a silver lining that Rosa could see because before too long Rosa excitedly tapped Twigleg's shoulder for attention and pointed up at the hardly visible sky. "Lola's plane!" She exclaimed loudly. Twigleg couldn't see what she was pointing at the rain was pouring so heavily now that Twigleg couldn't see much of anything as he was constantly trying to get the water droplets out of his eyes. Then he could finally see the candy apple red toy plane off in the distance. Rosa was jumping up and down trying to get Lola's attention, they weren't seen as the plane just flew on overhead but Twigleg didn't have time being sad at that as the plane with nose diving down and crash landing just a hundred yards away from the two of them.

"She's not too good at this is she?" Rosa asked aloud to Twigleg as they both dashed for the red plane. Twigleg didn't bother answering her as he knew she wasn't watching him. Still, this was odd. Crashing once? Yeah sure who hasn't had a few accidents but twice in the same day? That's not like Lola at all. Twigleg felt worried for his friend the closer to the wrecked plane they got. _'What happened? Were they coming back to pick us up at the school? Why did the wreck? Oh god.'_ Getting the plane Twigleg grimaced once he saw how bad it was.

Two of her propellers were bent and one was missing. Half of the plane was the normal candy red, but the second half was scratched to hell and back showing the steely gray metal underneath the paint. One wing was bent upwards making Twigleg wonder just how in the world did she manage to fly it as far as she did. At least it wasn't smoking. The cockpit window was completely cracked not allowing them to see Lola on the inside. With the help of Rosa, the two of them lifted the cockpit window up only to be greeted by a... well _little surprise._

A little baby rat was in Lola's arms. This baby rat had white and gray fur (white body, gray paws, and head more specifically) and their eyes were open (and little black eyes of course) Its eyes were open but it still looked young telling Twigleg that this baby had to be two weeks old at the most. Lola was breathing heavily as she was looking back and forth between Rosa and Twigleg.

"Oh, Humblecus, what a surprise..." Lola looked unsteady in her airplane seat. Her breathing remained heavy and scared. "This is my son. Henrick." Lola lifted the baby rat up a little before bringing him back down. Little Henrick didn't move too much but his tail wiggled a little. Lola swallowed hard and uneasy. The rain was pouring a little more heavily causing Twigleg to feel bad for the baby in Lola's arms.

"What happened? Last we saw the plane wasn't this damaged." Twigleg questioned her completely ignoring Henrick for the time being. He wasn't wrong either. The plane was flyable when Lola left them in the park.

"Soft baby!" Rosa happily exclaimed before giving Henrick a loving pat. "I hold? I hold the baby for you?" Rosa asked in an excited manner. At first, Twigleg figured Lola might let Rosa hold little Henrick but to his surprise, his friend quickly sheltered Henrick away from Rosa.

 _"No!"_ Lola hissed bitterly at Rosa. Even if Rosa couldn't read Lola's lips it was fine because Lola's body language told Rosa just what she said. Lola's fur bristled up not in anger but in fright. This was completely abnormal and Twigleg did the best thing he could think of doing. He snapped his fingers in front of Lola's eyes to get her attention to him.

"Lola, What happened?" He asked in a more demanding tone.

Lola only had to say one sentence for everything to click for Twigleg. "... Henry's family didn't take too well to the news..."

* * *

While Ivan was off doing what he does best, stealing. (No joke, Ben was absolutely sure that Ivan could steal just about anything. Which was also Ivan's own downfall at times as he has gotten a little too cocky more than once.) Ben was currently trying to scheme up a plan on how this was going to work. He went over Winston's chart a couple of times, yeah, the torture was obvious once Ben read it for his own.

 _'Fingers cut off, whip lacerations all over his back and chest, bruises covering his back as well- shit- he has a broken ankle. "Most likely from being beaten." The doctor note says. Fuck, I doubt the guy can walk-'_

"-You're about to do something both good and bad." Esmeralda suddenly spoke from behind Ben, not only causing him to jump and drop the clipboard with a very loud 'clatter' but it also caused him to nearly jump clean out of his skin.

"Jesus Christ, Esme!" Ben cursed loudly. "Don't scare me like that, please." Esmeralda only smiled (kinda creepily) at Ben in response. Ben sucked in a deep breath through his nose before leaning down to pick up the clipboard. "How are you feeling?" Ben asked her.

"Fine... So, this good and bad thing-"

"Look, I'm going to put it to you straight, Okay?" Ben cut her off quickly. "We're taking him with us. I have a bad feeling about this hospital-"

"-A wheelchair. You need a wheelchair."

"How the-"

"Oh!" She jumped a little with excitement. "I know where one is-"

"Esme, calm down. Don't say stuff like that out loud. Also... how did you know what I was going to say- no, wait. How did you know the _answer_ before I could ask the question?" Esmeralda tilted her head to the side for a moment and even brought her finger up to her chin in thought.

"You know? I dunno-" Esmeralda finally confessed. She then grabbed her forehead before giving it a hard shake. "-I just... see things sometimes."

"-Like... the future? Are you- or rather- do you have precognition? If so... that's just... I don't know Impossible?" Even Benjamin has his limits on believing certain things, he's always been on the edge about things like seeing the future, or even telekinesis for that matter.

"What's precognition?"

"Can you see the future?"

"... I dunno." Esmeralda shrugged. "I see things and I know what they mean, but I don't see the outcomes-"

"Like earlier when you tried to stop Ivan from answering his phone-"

"-I _knew_ the phone call was bad- that was the worst headache I've ever gotten by the way; besides the point- but I don't know the outcome."

"That's incredible! Were you born with this?"

"No, I started seeing things shortly after I created Rosa," Esmeralda explained. Ben stood there with his hand up and his index finger pointed out, almost as if he was going to ask a question but then he just stopped and shook his head.

"I... have _several_ questions that I have to ask Twigleg later!" Ben finally decided on saying.

"So... those wheelchairs?" Esmeralda smiled cutely at Ben causing him to look back at the sleeping form of Winston.

 _'A wheelchair would be perfect. I know I have something that could probably mask Winston if need be... however... Esmeralda is a bit of an eyesore and will attract attention...'_ Ben gave Esmeralda a sideways glance before feeling bad about his choice of words when he remembered that he is also considered an eyesore with his missing arm, but Ben at least had a fake arm on that hid his disability, Esmeralda was... well... "Actually, Esme..." Ben spoke up loudly once he realized she was already making her way to the door. Esmeralda stopped and turned around quickly. Her hands clasped in front of her chest as she waited for him. "... I need you to disguise him. You're clearly better at that than I can be, I mean I can't even put on pants that have zippers and buttons- Blimey, I feel Amish- no matter. I give you permission to go through my bag to find a coat or jacket or something with a hood to help hide his face, and you tell me where the wheelchair is."

He shrugged his backpack off and shoved it into Esmeralda's arms. Esmeralda shrugged as if she was okay with it. "Third floor. That's all I know."

"Okay, stay safe and if any nurses or the doctors come in... just play dumb."

"Oh! Mommy said I was good at that!" Esmeralda excitedly clapped before she started to dig into Ben's bag.

"Great!" Without really thinking about what he said he turned and quickly hulled off towards the third floor.

He knew that he was on the ground floor (first floor, dammit!) so he would have to use the elevator to get to the third floor. So, with a bit of snooping around corners and such Ben went looking for the elevator. A couple of nurses noticed him looking around, but none offered to help, typical. Not that he wanted them to know just where or what he was doing. After turning around about his fourth or fifth corner he finally saw it: the elevator. Ben didn't even wait. He jogged up to the elevator and quickly pressed the button.

 _'Why are you bothering with this? You only just met Winston.'_ The little voice in his head scolded him lightly. _'We already have a lot of problems with Esmeralda and now you want to add someone else to the gang Now!?'_ The elevator dinged and Ben hopped on in quick. Thankfully, he was the only one in the elevator. So, he pressed the button for the third floor and up he went. As the elevator rumbled upwards Ben heard his phone 'bleep' loudly in his pocket causing him to pull it out. It was a message from Atticus.

 _Atticus: Where are you, right now?_

Ben raised an eyebrow at this before shrugging, yeah Atticus was gonna know sooner or later but still Ben really didn't want to break the news to him over text message... Still, at this point and time, there was no point in hiding it.

 _Benjamin: America._

The elevator dinged and the doors opened up. Ben stepped out and looked up to see just what ward he was in. _Maternity ward_

 _'Oh, this just got... real awkward real fast.'_ Ben thought quickly once he realized that he was basically stealing a wheelchair from a pregnant woman. His phone dinged giving him some much-needed distraction for a moment.

 _Atticus: Yeah, no shit. I knew that ages ago. WHERE! Ben._ Ben only snorted at that.

Ben blinked very quickly at that. At first, it threw Ben off guard, but then he figured Barnabas, Guinevere, or even Jackson must have told him in the end. Atticus's stalking can get real tiring real fast. So, Ben went to reply but it was at that particular moment did his phone go completely dead. "Shit..." Ben muttered. It seemed that Atticus would have to wait. So, Ben pocketed his phone and quickly went to looking around. Ben cringed violently at the sound of countless women screaming in obvious pain to the miracle of life. Ben shielded the side of his face with his open palm so not to accidentally peek into someone's room. Ben quickly and briskly walked down the hallway hoping to see an abandoned wheelchair anywhere within eyesight.

A horrid feeling made Ben's gut twist violently. _'No. Not now please!'_ Ben begged his anxiety decided now to spike all the way up to ten. So, he hurried away down the hall quickly in hopes of just finding a wheelchair and just getting the hell out of there. _'You know nothing! Maybe you're reading too much into Winston's report, maybe... maybe... I don't know..'_ Ben was starting to feel tired again. Like... really tired. It was all getting too much for him to handle. His head was starting to spin and Ben leaned against the wall. His legs giving out on him and Ben actually hugged the wall for some sort of support. _'Fuck! Fuck! What are you doing! You complete idiot! Why are you doing this!? What is to be gained from this!? Nothing! That's what! We're just going to have another person to help take care of!'_

Ben felt his gut twist again and his head started to spin. _'Where's Ivan? Twigleg? Someone? I **need** someone right now! I... I can't be alone...'_ Then... his mind just went completely blank. He could only describe it as a blackout of some sort. No, he didn't exactly _blackout_ as in pass out, but... he just had no idea what happened or how long he was sitting there. It wasn't until a shockingly cold hand pressed against his exposed arm did he actually snap out of his stupor. Ben looked up to see who had touched him only to see an elder gentleman clearly in his late sixties. He was just in normal clothing telling Ben that this man wasn't a doctor or nurse. The man was clearly African American with pepper colored hair and beard.

"Are ya okay?" He asked Ben. He had a clear southern drawl that made him sound more comforting to Ben. If that made any sense.

"I..." Ben paused and felt his brow furrow in confusion. He then quietly looked at the man with a very confused look on his face. _'Did I have another flashback?'_ Ben thought for a moment if he really did or not. He honestly had to think hard. "I don't know if I am or not." Ben fully confessed to the stranger.

"So, what happened?" The man squatted down to Ben's level. Ben could smell the familiar stinging smell of stale cigarette smoke on this man's clothes. At first Ben was still a little confused to everything, not just the man's question. The man seems to notice this and pointed down to Ben's fake arm. "It ain't real son. I can tell. What was it? Hm? War?... have the Brits been in war lately?" Ben looked down at his fake plastic arm and felt a strange shiver run down his spine and cause his head to twist to the side as he grimaced.

"N-No... it was..." Ben tried to explain to the man quickly but his mind chose to interrupt him.

 _Fire. Burning. Hot. **Hot! Pain!**_

"A fire- house fire." Ben swallowed hard before rubbing his right eye with the palm of his hand.

"Recent?" The man took it upon himself to take Ben's fake arm off. Ben honestly didn't even fight it as the elder man started to look and inspect the wound.

"Less than a year ago," Ben admitted.

The man hummed out before placing Ben's nub down and reattaching the fake limb. He did it so perfectly that it made Ben's eyebrow shoot up in question. "Mah own son lost his leg in Iraq years ago. I always helped him put his fake leg on." The man explained. "Heh, that's why I'm here actually. Gonna meet mah grandbaby." The man grinned showing that he was missing several front teeth.

"Oh... congrats." Ben could only whisper to the man. The man sniffled before rubbing the tip of his nose with his thumb. His smile faded and he seemed a little more on edge now.

"Now..." The man whispered now. "Listen to me, son. This hospital It ain't right, I can't explain it myself, but I can say this: Get outta of here as soon as possible. I tried to talk mah son out of coming to place... there are _rumors_ dark, dark rumors of huntas and slavemen. People say they pay the docta's for sick people cheap laboa that way."

"Hunters and … what is a slaveman?"

"Yah know. A man that buys other humans for slaves."

 _'Slaves...'_ Ben's mind went to the time when slavery was legal thinking of those poor people being held down and whipped, those poor people who went through so much and got so little in return who were tortured day in and day out for no pay, those poor souls- "Winston!" Ben called out when the dots finally connected in his head. Winston wasn't just some poor sod in pain by the hospital he was a fucking _slave! 'A slave the hospital doesn't want to die so he can continue to work...'_

"I-I need a wheelchair!" Ben shot up off the ground in a hurry. How long has he been sitting there anyway!? How long has Esmeralda been waiting for him to return?!

"Well... " The man turned to his left showing that he had a wheelchair with him. "That's for me daughter-in-law. The nurse asked me to fetch it. I can't give it to you, but I'll tell you this. Just keep going down the hall and turn right. You'll find one."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Ben got ready to sprint off but he paused momentarily to look at the man. "Sir... I wish you the best of luck! And... thank you again... You did a lot more than just help me today." Ben gratefully thanked the man before finally turning and running as fast as he could down the hall. He heard the man say something. Though Ben didn't hear the exact words Ben was sure the man said something along the lines of 'stay safe out there.'

So, Ben did as he was told he finished running down the hall and turned right to see one wheelchair just sitting against the wall. "The first thing I'm doing when I get out of this stupid hospital is getting the coppers to investigate this bullshit." Ben huffed as he grabbed the wheelchair and ran all the way back to the elevator. Ben's blood was boiling with both rage and adrenaline. His fingers ticked anxiously against his leg as the elevator made its way down to the ground floor.

Ben didn't hesitate once those doors opened. He was running down the hall; his shoes squeaking loudly against the shiny hospital floor. Ben practically kicked that hospital door open as he excitedly rushed inside.

Ben felt his blood run cold, his heart skipped a beat, and his breath stoped dead in his throat at what he was greeted by inside. Three men. Big burly men were inside the room now. They were dressed in leather, blue jeans, and just screamed 'bad guys!'

One was huge, had to be almost seven foot tall while being over three hundred pounds of muscle. His head was shiny and bald. His skin gleamed with grease and sweat and he just reeked of booze. He had Esmeralda. He had one of her arms held up while holding her around the middle with just one arm. Esmeralda looked like a twig compared to this guy.

The next guy was just a tattooed monster. Ben was sure every inch of this guy was tattooed up and honestly Ben just couldn't look at him any longer.

The last guy was short. Just... short. Ben was sure if he wanted to he could punt the tiny guy across a football field and honestly if it wasn't for the fact that the big guy, the leader obviously, was there Ben might have.

"So, our little nurse friend was right. Someone was trying to help free our little Winston. Not just someone either it seems-"

 _'Shit! They must work for James! They know who I am and about the dragons!'_ Ben thought the complete worst that was until the leader just snorted and gave out a low chuckle.

"Some posh British kid with one arm and a _tranny_!" The man laughed in the most obnoxious way telling Ben that they were being made fun of. Ben watched as Esmeralda's eyes went wide, her face turned red, and just a pure red hot fury was all that Ben could see radiate off of her.

"Don't you call me that!" Esmeralda's voice reached such a deep tone that Ben it caused Ben to flinch in surprise. Esmeralda then turned and kicked the big guy in the... well... Let's just say he went down pretty easily. However, it wasn't that easy as the tattooed guy quickly ran and grabbed Esmeralda by her long hair and yanked her back.

"Oh! We have a fighter!" The tattoo man 'whooped' as he pulled her back. Esmeralda cried out and Ben came out of his shocked state fairly quickly after that. Ben was going to go for an attack of his own that was until he was suddenly pulled through the hospital's door. As he never left the doorway it was easy for someone to grab him. For a moment he thought it was another hunter or slaveman- but it wasn't either of them as Ivan grabbed Ben's wrist and started to make a break for it.

"Esmeralda!" Ben cried to Ivan, but the sad thing was that... Ben never stopped and it seemed that Ivan wasn't going to either.

"I just hardly escaped! I'm sorry! We have to leave her and Winston behind!" Ivan yelled back at Ben. At first Ben did want to stop, to go back and help Esmeralda and Winston, but when he saw the giant swollen bruises on Ivan's arms and neck... Ben against everything he was raised to do and all of his upbringing... left them behind. _'Esmeralda... Winston... I'll be back! I promise!'_


	12. Chapter 12

_"Stop it!" Joshua Newlands screamed loudly at his twin. Ivan was sitting on top of Josh's chest pinning his twin to the ground. Josh was trying to push Ivan off of him but all he succeeded in doing was just push his hand against Ivan's face._

 _"Just admit that I'm strong then you!" Ivan demanded before knocking Josh's arm down and away from his face._

 _"Yeah you're stronger, but you're also dumber than a sack of rocks!"_

 _Oh, that did it for Ivan, Ivan hocked up ready to spit out a big ol' spitball on his brother's face._

 _"Mom!_

 _"Mom!" Ivan openly mocked his twin loudly._

 _"Ai! ¡ Ivan, deja a tu hermano en paz!" (Ivan, you leave your brother alone!) Came the loud chiding voice of their mother Sherri. Ivan cringed outwardly, but before he could get off of his brother his left ear was grabbed harshly. "You know better!"_

 _"Moooom!" Ivan whined loudly. His mother pulled him off of his brother and started to pull him back into the house. "¡ Me llamó tonto!" (he called me dumb) Ivan whimpered in pain._

 _"I don't care! You don't attack your brother like that!" His mother rebuked so loudly that her voice seemed to crack. "You go to the corner!"_

 _"Not the corner!" Ivan tried to pull his mom's hand off of his ear but of course, all that did was just cause him more pain._

 _"Yes, the corner! I didn't work all damn day only to come home and have to deal with this!" His mother practically kicked Ivan's bedroom door open and forced him to stand in the farthest left-hand corner. Ivan crossed his arms bitterly as tears started to pour from his eyes._

 _"You always take Josh's side!" Ivan screamed back at his mother._

 _His mother let out a very angry and tried sigh at Ivan. "Maybe I wouldn't have to take his side if you'd just behave! You don't have to take everything to the next extreme, Ivan! Also, you can consider yourself here until I say so!" His mother then left the room. Ivan may not be as smart as his brother but he knew better than to move from that corner as he knew his mother would have a switch waiting for him if he did._

* * *

Ivan looked over at Ben. Even though it was raining, dark, and gray out Ivan could tell that Ben was not only feeling guilty (and looking exhausted) but was also crying. _'This is your fault... you just had to come to America...'_ Ivan thought bitterly to himself as guilt was starting to creep up and infect his mind. Ivan couldn't feel his fingers in the cold rain and swore they were starting to turn blue. His shoes weren't helping either as the thin fabric was already soaked, making his socks soaked, and thus making his toes cold.

"Ivan..." Ben whimpered suddenly and Ivan stopped in his tracks, turning around he saw that Ben had stopped walking and was a good ten to twenty feet behind. "I need to rest." Ben almost whispered. "Just for a moment, please..." Ivan could hear the almost begging tone in Ben's voice.

 _'God, how long have we been walking?'_ Ivan thought for a moment. Ivan knew that they weren't close to the school yet and So, Ivan just nodded. "Yeah... Yeah..." Ivan swallowed hard and helped Ben sit down on the yet sidewalk. There was a few moments of silence between the duo. The rain was still coming down quite heavily that made Ivan worry that Ben might get sick. "Is your arm hurting again?"

"... We have to go back." Ben whispered in response to Ivan. Ben's whole body was shaking and shivering to make Ivan shed off of his own jacket. Ivan quietly draped his jacket over Ben's shoulders.

"We can't if they catch us then that's the end-"

"But they have Esmeralda!" Ben cried loudly. Ivan could see that Ben was now crying guiltily. Ben then brought his hand up to his eyes and tried to stifle his sobs. "We left her behind!"

"I know, we'll get her back-"

"What if we don't! Oh, god! She's a transwoman what if they kill her for it!" Ben let out a shaky sob.

"Ben, I know we did a shitty thing, but right now we need to regroup with Twigleg and Rosa to think of a plan to help her, okay?" Ivan wasn't going to make any promises to Ben but he was going to try his best to give him hope. Ivan gently patted Ben's back. Ben let out a sniffle before resting his head on Ivan's shoulder so suddenly that it actually surprised Ivan.

"That's the first time you called her by the right pronoun," Ben spoke clearly, the distress was still in his voice, but at least he sounded a little more at ease. Ivan would have stood up and got ready to walk down the street again but he just didn't bother, at least not right away. He liked having Ben lean on him like this and honestly it made his own emotions feel a little more at ease. They just sat there in the rain on the sidewalk.

"The box it was in the hospital room... along with all of my stuff." Ben huffed. Ivan blinked dumbly at that.

"No, it's not. I mean your stuff, yeah. But I have the box, remember? I stored it in my bag." Ivan then shredded off of his own backpack and opened it for Ben to see that Ivan did indeed have the box.

"But you told me you had no room."

"I was making room for the stuff I was planning to steal when I decided to store in there. I threw out all the food I stole though."

"Great." Ben once again brought his hand up to face, but this time it was to rub the bridge of his nose. "So, we're out of food, and I'm out of clothes to wear," Ben mumbled.

"... C'mon." Ivan nudged Ben a little bit. "Let's get going, okay?" Ivan swung his backpack back over his shoulder. "As I said, we'll regroup and figure out what to do."

"Yeah, might as well."

* * *

 _Ivan rubbed his tummy in hunger as he opened the fridge door only to be greeted by nothing back in return. Joshua was standing right behind him also expecting something to be in there but there was nothing._

 _"Ivan, tengo hambre." (I'm hungry) Josh whined very loudly before clutching onto his brother._

 _"I am too! but there's nothing here!" Ivan slammed the fridge door shut in his frustration. "Mom doesn't come home in another three hours."_

 _"Should we go to the neighbors again?" Josh suggested and Ivan sighed inwardly before thinking about it. "No, it's Wednesday, Mrs. Dove is at work as well. You know, there's an IGA just a little ways away. We could just pop in take a bit of food and leave-"_

 _"That's stealing!"_

 _"¿Qué opción temenos?" (What choice do we have?) Ivan shot back in Spanish with a shrug. "Mom won't be home for another three hours and I'm hungry now!" Ivan yelled finally. "C'mon we won't get caught!"_

 _"Says you! If we do get caught, oh... it'll be the switch for sure!" Josh shuttered. "I want nothing to do with this!"_

 _"Fine! I'll go!"_

* * *

Ben and Ivan both ran inside the abandoned school. "Twigleg! Rosa!" Ben yelled out immediately in their little sanctuary. They didn't hear a response at first. Ben shivered a little more even though they were out of the rain it didn't help that he was still dripping wet. "T-Twigleg! We're back!" Ben called out again as he started to walk farther into the building. It was so quiet, Ben couldn't even hear the rats scurrying around the walls. Ivan placed a hand on Ben's shoulder and together they nodded.

"They probably went back into the kitchen. Can't hear us from there." Ivan suggested and Ben figured Ivan was right. So together they walked off towards the back. Still, Ben couldn't shake the feeling the something wasn't right. "Hello?" Ben called out weakly once he heard a weak scuffle to his left. He knew it had to be a rat, but he just couldn't believe what he was met with. It was Henry! The poor rat was limping as fast he could towards them. Ben could see that Henry had a deep bite mark on his scruff, another bite mark on his hide, and a large long scratch that started from the side of his face all the way down to his tail.

"Help! Quickly!" Henry begged in a bellowing voice that echoed around the abandoned building. Off in the distance, Ben could see just what Henry was running from as a small hoard of rats were catching up to him at a face pace. Ben, being a human, simply bent down and gently picked Henry up in his hands. All at the once the hoard of rats stopped and their leader, being Henry's own father seethed.

"You have no right to get involved in this, human!" Reginald snarled loudly at Ben.

"Basta con toda calma abajo…" (Everyone just calm down) Ivan spoke quickly as he put his hands up. "What happened?" He asked.

"What happened?! That little traitor went and got a Greytail pregnant!" Reginald hissed so harshly that his whole body just seemed to bush up. Henry quickly scampered up to Ben's shoulder and was even shaking in fear.

"Lola?" Ben was more astonished than anything. "I mean I figured she'd be the last rat in the world to have a child!" Ben actually laughed at that.

"Is this a joke to you!" Reginald demanded. "I will not stand for it! Not only is Henry dead to me but by god I'm going to find Lola and that little bastard-" Ben gave Reginald a little kick, nothing to hard just a little something to knock him back.

"Now, you listen to _me-_ " Ben was quick to actually assert his dominance in the situation, so much so that it actually impressed Ivan to see Ben this way. Ivan just hung back and watched this all play out. "-You will do no such thing of the sort! You _are_ going to leave Lola and Henry alone! I can imagine the courage they must of have to tell you such a thing-"

"Who are you to talk to me like that-"

"I'm the person who's sick to death of all my friends and family being threatened by one for another! I already lost Esmeralda because I was cowardly but I will not stand by-"

"Wait!" Reginald's whole personality flipped almost instantly. "What happened to Esme?"

Ben's face softened sadly before he sucked in an uneasy breath. "We were... ambushed in the hospital. Esmeralda got taken by some... hunters or slave owners. We want to get her back and we need to talk to Twigleg and Rosa-"

"They're not here," Henry spoke up in a squeaky voice and Ben felt his heart completely drop in the pit of his stomach.

"What do you mean they aren't here?!" Ben demanded loudly, so loudly in fact that his voice echoed through the whole building.

"Lola was trapped in a tree, I asked them to help me get her out and..."

"And?! Henry! Where are Twigleg and Rosa!?"

"Maybe still where I might have accidentally abandoned them?"

Ben almost could have strangled the rat himself, but he knew better than to get too angry at Henry after Ben did the same thing to Esmeralda didn't he? "Okay! Okay! Okayokayokayokay!" Ben started speaking more rapidly and pacing around in circles. This became way more than just finding their respective dragons now.

Ben felt Ivan place a hand on Ben's shoulder stopping his rapid pacing. "We need help, all the help we can get now. Reginald. I know you're mad at Henry and Lola, but can you _please_ look past that?" Ivan got down on a knee so he could look Reginald in the eyes.

Reginald gave Ivan an angry sneer. "Why should I, they betrayed us!"

"Because some serious shit is going down and if you don't help us... Esmeralda could die."

Reginald looked at Henry on Ben's shoulder before letting out a long sigh. "Fine... fine... but when this is all said and done I want nothing to do with any of you ever! That includes you, Henry!" A couple of rats all kind of groaned in mild annoyance at that. Ben felt himself relax at this, however; now that the rat wasn't going to make an attempt to kill his own son.

"Thank you. We need to find these hunters can you guys go out and help us find them?" Ben was the one to ask. "You might be able to find them at the nearby hospital." Reginald gave a nod.

"Consider it done."

And just like that Reginald and his wild pack of rats was gone. "Unbelievable!" Henry huffed in anger. "He loves her more than he loves me! He tried to kill me!"

"I kinda know your feelings." Ivan couldn't help but chuckle at Henry's outburst. It was at that moment that a very loud _Bang!_ bellowed throughout the whole school making the trio jump in surprise. Ben backed up at first and Ivan was quick to stand in front of him to protect him. Ivan could see what had happened someone broke down the double front doors that were just a good seventy yards away. Ivan knew that someone had broken it down because whoever it was; was still standing there in the open doorway. Ivan couldn't see anything but a blackened silhouette standing there.

"... Run..." Henry whispered in fear. Nobody moved for a few heartbeats of silence. The silhouette then moved at first slowly before it just sprinted forward towards them. " _Run_!" Henry screamed now and Ivan pushed Ben forward to get him to move.

"Give us the box!" A deep male voice yelled at them.

Ivan didn't know who 'us' was and he really didn't want to know. Ben turned a corner and Ivan followed suit. Their heavy footsteps echoed loudly through the abandoned school. _'They want the box, they must work for my father...'_ Ivan thought bitterly as he looked over his shoulder the person was still chasing them (of course). Ivan couldn't see who was chasing him as the person was covering their face with a black bandana. Ivan wasn't even questioning where Ben was going he was just following his friend. Ben turned again and it became clear to Ivan that Ben was making an escape to the kitchen. _'To hide?'_ Ivan thought for a moment that Ben might want to try and hide in a cooler or freezer even but even Ivan figured that'd be a little dumb. Yet, he didn't question it as he continued to keep in step with Ben.

They made it to the kitchen, Ben didn't turn, he just went straight to the back door and opened it with his shoulder. The rain was the first thing to hit Ivan as he went running straight out, but Ben suddenly wasn't in front of him anymore. Ivan shot around to see Ben quickly closing the door. "The fence!" Ben yelled out. Ivan didn't even think twice. No, he climbed it like it was nothing, but Ben didn't. Little hard to climb a fence with only one hand.

"Ah, shit!" Ivan cursed when the door was flung open and the man made a mad grab for Ben. The man grabbed Ben by his shoulders and a small struggle ensued. Before Ivan could jump back over the fence Ben did something else. First Ben threw a punch and hit the stranger in the nose causing the man to recoil in slight shock. Then in it was Henry who acted next. The rat jumped from Ben's shoulder and started to bite the man. "Ben!" Ivan finally jumped back over the fence only to watch as Ben kicked the man inside sending him toppling over.

Screams of pain started to fill the air as it seemed Henry wasn't letting up. The stranger not only through his bandana off in an attempt to get the rat off of him the man was writhing around like a worm out of the dirt as he screamed. Ivan couldn't see much, except for the blood that was starting to pool and spill down the man's face in multiple places. Ivan felt... shocked at what happened next.

Ben planted his foot firmly on the man's chest forcing him to stop his struggling. Ben then took out a knife, no, not his normal little penknife that he normally keeps on him. At first, Ivan thought it was a hunting knife but he soon realized it was something obviously akin to a tactical knife. Ivan didn't need to think twice as to how Ben got a hold of a knife like that. Atticus had mentioned to Ivan once or twice about Ben having something better to defend himself with, Ivan just didn't think Atticus would actually give him something. Ben then pointed the tip of the sharp knife against the man's throat. This caused Henry to scurry over and back up Ben's shoulder in only a matter of seconds.

The man was breathing heavily looked a little... scared?

This gave Ivan enough time to look at the guy. He honestly just looked like a normal guy. There was nothing too special about him. He is Caucasian, with brown eyes and brown hair by the looks of it, it looked like he had a bit of stubble growing around his chin, he also looked to be in his mid-forties and even seemed to be just a tad overweight. This made Ivan raise an eyebrow, no wonder the guy was slightly a little slower than they were. He had three deep, still bleeding, bite marks. One below his right eye, one on his left cheek, and one on his chin.

"Alright, who are you?" Ivan was the one to ask.

"L-Look, don't hurt me okay. I'm just doing what I'm told here..." The guy's tone shifted heavily.

"Which is?" Ben asked through gritted teeth.

"I- Please- I was told to get the box back. Okay? That's all I wasn't going to hurt you guys I promise-"

"Who wants the box?" Ivan demanded next. The man started to let out several scared little whimpers.

"I can't tell you- Please!" The man let out a startled scared breath as Ben actually pressed the tip of the knife against his skin. "She'll kill me if I tell you- Okay! Okay!" Ben pressed again and the man started to beg before finally folding.

 _'This guy is like a house of cards...'_ Ivan thought.

"I can't give you her name. I really can't because I swear to god I don't know it! Okay. I just know is that it's a lady and she's insane. Okay? In-fucking-sane!"

"How did she know we were here!?" Ivan was the one to demand.

"Y-Your phone! She seemed to have tra-traced a phone call- don't kill me!"

 _'Everything is going to be worse now...'_ Esmeralda's voice echoed in Ivan's mind and it seemed that Ben was thinking the same thing as they just shared a knowing look with each other. Ivan reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. "How? It said that a friend was calling me-"

"I don't know..."

"Why does she want the box? Did she work for James Marrs?" Ben inquired.

"W-Work? Ha! That's one thing I do know. The lady is obsessed with Marrs!" The man scoffed loudly at them. "Look, from what I know she's off her rocker crazy for this Marrs dude. Claims her daughter should have rightful access to that box of yours..." Once again Ben and Ivan exchanged confused looks with each other before focusing back down at the guy. "I'm not kidding about not wanting to hurt ya, honest...H-How about I give you kiddies a tip in exchange for letting me go? Okay?"

"... What?" Ben demanded before folding the knife back and putting it away in his pocket. Slowly Ben then took his foot off the man and offered his hand. The man took it and Ivan stood there on edge. _'Do something you lard...'_ Ivan thought with a threatening growl. _'Is Ben insane?'_ The man took Ben's hand and Ben helped up. Nothing happened.

"Get away from this building. More people are probably coming... hunters, I believe she hired. Claimed she would sell you two to the highest bidder. I'd find another place to hide and fast."

"Shit..." Ben was the one to curse this time. Ivan felt the rain start to fall down upon them again before sighing out.

"Right... thanks. C'mon, Ben we'll find somewhere-"

"But Twigleg and Rosa!-" Ben cried loudly.

"-And Lola!" Henry finally butted in his whiskers twitching violently.

"Fuck!" The man suddenly gasped out causing all attention to be put on him. All Ben saw were two black vans coming their way down the road. "You don't have time!"

Ivan dropped to one knee. "We'll discuss this later! For now, we need to hide." Ivan interlocked his fingers together and formed a sort of net with his hands for Ben to step on. "C'mon, I'll help you get over!" Ivan urged him. Ben sucked in a breath through his teeth but saw no way out of it. Quickly he stepped on Ivan's interlocked hands and Ivan helped him get up. Still, even with the help, Ben only got so high before instantly struggling with trying to get higher. That was when he pushed up from the rear.

"I'm only letting you touch me like this once, Newlands." Ben only half-joked as Ivan helped him climb over. Ben had no choice but to drop down from the top. Thankfully it wasn't too high up. It still almost took the wind out of his longs when he landed. "You okay, Henry?" Ben asked.

"Peachy." Was his response.

Ivan jumped down next down to Ben and skillfully landed on his feet like a cat. Ivan grabbed Ben by his hand and pulled him to his feet. Ben got ready to take off with Ivan but paused and he spun back around. "Why help us?" He finally demanded to the man. It was rather odd that this guy would just turn around on the person that is paying him.

"Let's say... I'm a good judge of character. Don't worry. She won't get away with this." The man actually winked.

* * *

"-What about Lola, you know, the love of my life! We can't just leave her out here in this rain! Especially not when she's with my son!" Henry threw an absolute fit towards Ivan. Ivan wanted to find a home to squat in for the day to lay low so they could think of what to do next.

 _'God...'_ Ben thought as he shivered violently against the cold rain. Ben was cold, wet, hungry, sad, and just a mess right now. He could only imagine what Twigleg was going through right now without him. They've been walking for a good bit now, Ivan jumping at every car that passed them. Ben understood Ivan's paranoia, hell, Ben was scared to death at this point, yet, he had his objections. "I'm kind of with Henry. I don't want to leave Twigleg behind, especially not since we left Esmeralda!"

"Ben! We are being hunted down if we stop we are dead! You know this, I know you know this."

"No!" Ben stopped walking right at that moment. "This is completely different! I'm _not_ hiding while Twigleg is out here in this storm! He needs me! and... I need him!" Ben gasped out almost in tears. Ivan's face softened into a more sympathetic face.

"Ben, right now he's safer away from us then he is with us! I know you're upset, I am too, but Ben if we stop to find him right now we could very well end up sold to slavery, I don't want that and neither do you. Please, just _think_ about this before you go running off to find Twigleg and Rosa. We'll find them, I promise you." Ivan grabbed Ben by his shoulders and gave him just a gentle shake.

"But what if we don't? What if they get smashed by a car- or-"

"Ben it's _Twigleg._ That little guy isn't going to get smashed by anything. He's too smart- sometimes for his own good- but still. He's a brave little Manikin, and I can bet you when this is all over and done with him and Rosa will be waiting for us at the school safe and sound." Ben wasn't convinced. He felt his frown deepen and his fears grow even darker.

"Ivan-" That was when Ivan actually pulled Ben into a hug, completely catching Ben off guard and silencing him.

"Listen to me. Once this all blows over I will spend eternity looking for Twigleg with you if I absolutely have to, but please... just stay with me so I know you'll be safe..." Ivan almost begged.

"Okay..." Ben finally agreed before putting a hand up to his head. "God, I feel awful. I've been awful to him these last few years, I've been such a horrible friend."

"You're not a horrible friend, Ben... we have to move, we've been standing still for too long." Ivan grabbed Ben's hand and started to lead him along. Ben just followed along as Ivan lead him down the street before turning sharply and going on another street behind the one they were just on this one having a row of houses behind the houses they were just at. Ben couldn't feel his fingers anymore. In fact, he couldn't stop shaking at this point. Ivan then stopped suddenly, so suddenly that Ben bumped into his back.

"Iv-Ivan?" Ben whispered through his chattering teeth. Ivan then looked back at Ben a strange sad little spark in his eye.

"Ben..." Ivan just said his name, turned around and started walking forward again towards the end of the street at a fast pace.

"Ivan?" Ben felt his arm being tugged on as Ivan just trudged all the way to the end of the street. In only seconds they were both standing in front of a small red house. "Mate-" Ben felt almost confused by Ivan's sudden behavior. Ben wasn't thinking straight, too many things on his mind all at once. he just couldn't put two and two together right now and because of his lack of thinking, Ben nearly lost his mind when Ivan let go of his hand to knock on the door. "Ivan! Are you crazy-"

The door opened just about an inch or two so whoever was on the other side peeked out at the duo. Ben could only see curious green eyes peering out before a soft and sudden gasp could be heard. This was followed by Ivan's very audible: "Oh shit..." It was more astonishment than fear. Ben huddled up a little more against Ivan to get a better look inside the door but suddenly it was shot wide open by the person on the other side and a blast of warmth, light, and the scent of Mexican food being cooked, all hit Ben in the face at once. Ben winced at the brightness for only a second before focusing back on the person that had opened the door.

A woman. She was clearly in her mid-to-late-forties, she has olive colored skin with dark freckles splashed all over her body. Her hair is dark brown in color and fluffed out in ringlets. She was clearly of Hispanic origin by her looks alone. She was actually pretty tall, taller than both Ben and Ivan (Ben being 5'7" and Ivan being a tall 5'9"). Ben, even though his mind was slow, was quick to notice several things about this woman that stuck out to him. Her curly hair, freckles, and (of course) emerald green eyes.

"Mi Hijo?" The woman asked in a thick accent before stepping out to touch Ivan's face. "Is that you?" She asked in a scared but astonished voice as her fingers gently touched the sides of Ivan's face. Her hands started to shake before she suddenly hugged him tightly.

"Yeah..." Ivan responded before resting his head against the crook of her neck. "It's me, mom."


	13. Chapter 13

Something was wrong with Rosa. Something was horribly wrong with Rosa. It had started once they found temporary shelter from the harsh rain, an abandoned house that Lola had spotted, as soon as they stepped in Rosa just collapsed into a very tight ball. Then the screaming started. They were screams of pure pain as she laid there on the floor curled into herself. Twigleg could hear her vocal cords stretching as her screams just seemed to get louder with each second.

"What's wrong with her!" Lola cried out as Rosa's screams almost drowned her out. Henrick's little whiskers twitched as he sacredly held on to his mother and watched Rosa with wide fearful eyes.

"I-I don't know!" Twigleg squeaked before dropping down beside her. He knew that she and Esmeralda had a connection so this might mean that Esmeralda might be in this much pain as well. Twigleg gently started to pat Rosa on the back in hopes of comforting her in some way or form however after the third pat he soon realized she was starting to flinch violently at his touches. So he backed off quickly. Her screams then died down from her throat, just like that she stopped screaming, however; she was whimpering in pain every so often. Twigleg looked to Lola and Henrick before looking back at Rosa. Twigleg swallowed hard before finally leaning down so he was on his elbows and knees, this way he could get a good look at Rosa's face. Rosa had tears falling from her eyes, her cheeks were stained with these tears that had soaked the collar of her princess dress. Her breath was uneasy and hitching every few seconds. Her red eyes then focused on Twigleg. He didn't even need to sign to her what had happened, because she answered the question for him. Thankfully from this angle, she could read his lips and he wouldn't have to sign to her.

"They're hurting her-" She grimaced and then clutched the left side of her ribs. "-My mistress." She felt the need to clarify.

"What are they doing to her?" Twigleg almost felt afraid to ask that question. The bigger question is obviously _who is 'they'?_ because Twigleg knew Ben nor Ivan would attack Esmeralda, they definitely wouldn't be kicking her or punching her.

"I don't know... kicking her? Punching her? I don't know, but it hurts... she's in pain and so am I... we need to help her, Twigleg."

"We don't know where she is, Rosa."

"... She could be at the school." Rosa tried to reason with him.

 _'She could be back at the school, but something tells me that's not the case... unless it is, Rosa does have a connection with her after all...'_ Twigleg thought before he turned his head away to look back at Lola and Henrick. Lola was happily grooming Henrick's whiskers, probably as a way to keep him calm and occupied. His mind flashed back to that scared- almost feral- expression on Lola's face earlier, so fearful of what had happened to her at that school. He didn't want to bring her back there, especially not with Henrick, those other rats would tear him to tiny pieces. He was so small and helpless.

"Twigleg?" Rosa shook his shoulder for attention. She was still so huddled up in a ball that it looked like she just couldn't move. "You go? You go to the school? I hurt..." She whined loudly. "I hurt a lot..." She let out a shaky sob before resting her face on the floor.

"Whoa, Humblecus. She's not actually serious, is she? Going to that place again? Those other rats tried to kill me and my son!" Lola hissed as her fur raised a little. Twigleg turned back to her before getting off of the floor and standing up. His back was turned to Rosa, meaning she couldn't hear what he was going to say next.

"Her mistress could be in danger and might even be there-"

"-And just what are you going to do? If she is in danger?" You are no taller than I am! Say this human is surrounded by other humans at that school... what are you going to do then? They'll crush you! I say you stay here where it's safe for now."

Funny. Lola almost sounded like Twigleg there for a second. It seemed she realized this too as her tail flicked up and she started to play with her own tail to comfort herself.

"Lola, I know you're scared for both you and your son, but right now... Ben is missing as well. Her mistress was with Ben... What if Ben is being attacked too? He's only got one arm, Lola. One arm! He can't fight back like he used to! I need to help both of them if I can!"

Lola threw her paws up. Partly in anger, partly just because she clearly gave up at that point. "Curses, you didn't mention Ben being missing! Alright.. fine, we can go back to the school-"

"No. Not 'we'. Rosa can't move. I fear what would happen if we tried to move her. I'll go. Can you watch over Rosa?" He asked Lola and he clasped his hands onto her paws.

"Twigleg, what if something happens to you? Then what?"

"I don't know, but right now I need to risk it. I'll be safe, I promise." He reassured Lola before letting go of her paws. Feeling something tug at his pants leg made Twigleg look down at little Henrick. The baby rat just barely reaching Twigleg's waist. Twigleg knew it wasn't going to last as in two more weeks Henrick will most likely be just as tall as him. Henrick's little gray whiskers twitched wildly at Twigleg as his little eyes just stared at twigleg with some bit of concern.

"Can you bring my Da back?" Henrick asked him.

"Henrick, no!" Lola pulled him back, none too harshly thank goodness, but enough to make the little rat quickly lower his ears and eyes in slight shame. It made Twigleg feel a little bad. Was Henry still even alive? From what Lola had told him Henry held the other rats back so Lola and Henrick could get to safety...

"I'll do what I can," Twigleg reassured Henrick to the best of his abilities. Twigleg then looked at Rosa once again. She was still curled up in a ball on the floor in the fetal position with her legs against her chest. Twigleg felt so bad for her, he just hoped that Esmeralda was actually at the school, the question is that if he were to find Esmeralda there then what was he going to do? _'Something to think of when I get there, I guess.'_ Twigleg thought before he quickly walked over to Rosa. Gently he shook her shoulder making her look at him. "I'm leaving now, Lola is going to look after you-" He started to sign.

"-I want to go." She audibly spoke as she made an attempt to get up, but she quickly realized that wasn't a good idea as she grimaced and curled back up.

"No, you stay here." He signed. "I won't be gone long. I'm going to see if she's at school. Okay?"

"Be safe?" Rosa signed back at him (as best as she could as it seemed the lightest movement was causing her extreme pain. She then closed her eyes in a sickly looking grimace.

"I'll do my best." He said, not signed.

Rosa, even though she was in pain suddenly caught Twigleg's hand in hers. With no warning, she gave it a kiss. "Please... stay safe." With that, she let go. It had caught Twigleg so off guard that he just stood there awkwardly for about a few good seconds before, without saying anything, he finally turned and made his way out of the house.

It wasn't until he was crawling through the hole that they had came in from did he realize why she had told him to 'stay safe' twice and even kissed his hand. She didn't hear him the first time as she had her eyes close. This could also mean something else. She may like Twigleg in a romantic way and... Twigleg had several mixed feelings about this.

Still, Twigleg couldn't focus on that for too long. As he was now outside, the rain still coming down quite heavily. Lightening even crackled across the sky this of course followed by an ominous rolling thunder shortly after the lightning crackle. Twigleg sucked in a deep breath and slowly exhaled out of his mouth. Looking at the now pitch black sky, the sun had now gone down and the only thing that will light his way to the school where the dim street lamps. _'Ben, I hope you're safe at the school...'_ Twigleg thought. Truthfully, the one thing that was keeping him motivated to do this for Rosa wasn't just for her safety, but deep down he knew that seeing and hugging Ben when this was all done will be the greatest reward for him. Twigleg took one step out in the wind and rain before he started on his long trek to the school.

His whole body was soaked in just mere seconds. The rain may be even heavier than earlier. Still, a little rain wasn't going to stop him! because the farther he continued to walk down the street from the abandoned home the more he realized just how close to the school he really was. Because at the end of the street he was on he saw a familiar, brick red, one story home. Yes, Ivan's old home! Meaning the school was only a block up the street! So that made Twigleg a little happier. So, Twigleg hustled quickly down the street. Twigleg was doing his best to fight against the harsh winds that just didn't seem to stop, yet he still feared that the wind would take him any second now. The rain stung against his skin like needles. So, Twigleg lifted the collar of his jacket and tried to put it over his face (He's seen it done in movies and hoped that there'd be some logic to it). His big nose made it a little hard but not impossible.

Twigleg grunted as a heavy rain drop hit his head square in the center almost throwing him off balance and on to his back. Still, he didn't give up and he kept marching down the sidewalk and even managed to cross the street with no issues. Then, under the dim light of the street lights, Twigleg could see it just off in the distance. The school. He never felt happier seeing that old abandoned building. So, Twigleg ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. He did his best to ignore the raindrops stinging his cold skin and making him constantly losing his balance or even eyesight on the occasion. That didn't stop him, he was full of determination now! As he got closer and closer to the school, however... he became painfully aware of a car outside of the building next to the curb. It seemed to be parked and off. Twigleg knew damn well that it didn't belong there.

The car was black, which was why he didn't notice it right away as it blended in with the rain. It seemed to just be a normal four-seater car with nothing too special about it- until Twigleg noticed that the license plate on the front of the car. It was on the front of the car, nothing out of the ordinary really, but it was labeled differently. Crammed on the plate was the word: ENTERPRSE. Odd.

So, Twigleg knew to be on his toes when he entered the old building.

The first thing to greet him was darkness. Inky darkness. Not a single light to help him navigate through the building. So, Twigleg, still dripping wet, brought his arms and hands out in front of him to help him navigate through the dark. Twigleg felt his ankle get caught quickly and he dropped to his knees. "Ow..." He half whined before decided to start kicking now. So here he was with his arms out in front of him kicking the rubble away. Yeah, he knew he looked stupid, but it was working for the most part so onwards he went. Twiglegs hand bumped against a wall and he started to quickly feel around for an opening. Going along the wall out of instinct he found it and noticed, rather instantly, a light coming from a doorway to his right. _'They are back!'_ he excitedly clapped. The light had to be coming from a stolen flashlight or a cell phone. Either way, Twigleg didn't hesitate to go into the next room. Only to stop just in the doorway.

Yes, there was a light, a cell phone light to be exact, it was on the floor pointing up at the ceiling. The thing was by the light was the silhouette of a person. The person standing up straight, their back to Twigleg. Twigleg couldn't see much of them, but he could see they were tall, had long hair, and had clearly been in some sort of struggle. They were breathing heavily, sniffling, and brought their hand up to wipe their nose. Twigleg almost thought it might have been Esmeralda, but the hair wasn't long enough, this person's hair only went a little past their shoulders. Twigleg knew that Ben and Ivan both had curly hair, so unless one of them straightened their hair it wouldn't be them. Therefore, this was an intruder.

Twigleg felt his little heart beat harder and faster.

And then it was at that very moment that Twigleg realized this person wasn't alone as a startled gasp came out of the very darkened corner of the room. "I had nothing to do with it! Please! Y-You have to believe me!" A panicked male voice screamed (Too deep to be Ben, or Ivan, too old sounding to be Esmeralda, so another intruder.) Twigleg quickly hid in the room behind some rubble. The light was never moved so Twigleg still couldn't see who the strange standing man was. But he did see the man move out of the light and followed this with a harsh punch to the other stranger. "I swear!" His voice was despite, whiny, and most likely blood filled. Twigleg had no idea what was happening but his heart was beating even faster.

The standing stranger never answered. But there was another light source. A lighter. The stranger lit the lighter to light up a cigarette placed between his lips. Twigleg got to see pale white skin, but that was about it as the flame was gone quickly. The stink of cigarettes filled the air quickly as the standing stranger sucked in a deep breath before exhaling obnoxiously. The cherry of the cigarette now visible. "Please-" A pained scream filled the air was a sickening sizzle was heard. Whoever the standing stranger was put his cigarette on the man and it was then that Twigleg realized he had walked into an interrogation of sorts. He needed to leave. He needed to leave now!

He was about to, but footsteps approaching the doorway made him quickly duck down in fear as another person entered.

"Please!" The torture victim called the other person just coming in. "You're kind! You have to understand! I had nothing to do with anything!"

 _'Kind? Was this a betrayal of sorts?'_

Then... Twigleg heard a voice that he just wasn't to expecting to hear. As it was clear that a foot was planted on the torturer's chest by the sound alone and the person spoke.

"You tell me where my fucking kids are and we'll talk about goddamn kindness!" Atticus. yes... _Atticus_ spoke in a vicious, angry, threatening tone. "I know your lot took them! If you thought I was just going to bow down to this then you're sadly mistaken!"

"I-I didn't take them-" The man tried but his voice was cut off by a gurgle of sorts.

"Atticus. Someone else is here with us-" Zenith spoke in a more alert tone. Twigleg normally would run out and greet Atticus and Zenith like the friends they were but right now he actually felt afraid for his own safety.

"Help me!" The man's gurgled voice cried out. "Please! Vampires! _Vampires!_ "

"Trying to call your hunter buddies?" Atticus had a very condescending tone to his voice, so condescending that just a bit of his Irish seem to come out.

"I'm not a hunter!" The man tried to plead.

"Not a hunter? Please! You run with them!"

"I'm an undercover cop, dammit!"

"Found you!" Twigleg could stop his scream of terror as Zenith actually snuck up on him and picked him up by the jacket. It was honestly at that exact moment was Twigleg reminded of just how skilled predators vampires actually are. Twigleg's own scream of terror echoed loudly around the empty school building. "No way-" Zenith gasped.

"-Twigleg!" The cellphone light was shone directly on Twigleg (putting him under a spotlight indeed) by Atticus. Twigleg, only being held by his jacket quickly shielded his eyes from the light. "What... What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you both the same thing!" Twigleg almost spat. "But judging by the fact you're asking for your kids. I can only guess."

Zenith let out a loud exhale making Twigleg breath in rancid smoke. "It's a long story."

"-You know what. Tell us where Ben and Ivan are and I swear we'll explain everything." Atticus's tone almost sounded desperate. Twigleg knew now that that's what he was looking at. Not a scary vampire, but a desperate man, but still Twigleg could only shake his head slowly.

"Atticus... I don't know where they are. We all got split up." Twigleg explained.

Atticus's face turned sad quickly. "I was afraid of that-"

"... Two boys? Late teens? One with curly black hair, that has one arm, and is British? One American, with red hair?" They almost didn't sound like questions on the man's part it was almost like he was reciting it. It actually threw Twigleg just a little off guard. It seemed to do the same for Atticus and Zenith as well as they looked at one another first before looking back at the man. "Yeah, I met them. I'll tell you all you need to know on them."

"But, let me guess, you want to be untied first?" Zenith was the one to ask the obvious question. Twigleg honestly had no clue that the guy was tied up.

"Oh, so clever you are." Twigleg could hear the smile in the man's voice. "I want more than that as well. But we'll discuss those matters later."


	14. Chapter 14

Sorrel let out a loud groan as she shook the heavy rain off of her fur. "Rain! Rain! And more rain!" She hissed to Firedrake. "I swear it rains more here than in the rim!" Firedrake only let out a sad noise from his throat but didn't respond verbally. He had his head down against his paws, both of his ears were low and his eyes had a sad gaze about them.

"Oh, Firedrake... don't get your hopes down... we'll find Ben." Sorrel comforted him to the best of her abilities.

"I should have gifted him a scale right away. I shouldn't have waited as I did..." Firedrake mumbled sadly. "We would have found him by now," Firedrake whispered the last part as his ears stayed low and he shut his eyes. "None of this would have happened."

"Don't beat yourself up over this. Nobody could have guessed a giant twister was going to separate us as it did." Sorrel was doing her best to reassure him but Sorrel knew better than anyone that getting a dragon out of a melancholy state was pretty hard. So, Sorrel did what she does best when Firedrake was like this. She started to softly sing to him. It was only a momentary distraction for Firedrakes aching heart, she knew, but it was the truly the best Sorrel could do for him.

* * *

Twigleg felt bad for the undercover cop as he watched the man drive away from them.

 _"Look here you bloodsuckers, I swear I didn't take your children, but I know who did. I'm trying to arrest them for human trafficking. Also, I would advise getting new phones. The two boys you're looking for went that way-" The man pointed down the road. "That's all I know. Now, I don't want you guys following me. Do you hear? These people that I'm tracking down aren't exactly 'friendly' if you get my drift. I've been working three years on this case and I don't want some creatures from 'Harry Potter.' to ruin this for me." The officer told them as they were all outside of the school in front of the black car._

 _"My children-" Atticus growled back._

 _"-You put those fangs away. I told you. I'll do what I can to bring your kids back. I highly doubt they've been sold just yet. Now. The keys." Atticus let out a bitter tsk at the officer but handed his car keys over as instructed._

And that's how they all three got here. Standing in front of the school with no car and no way of telling just where Ben and Ivan are. "I feel like you've been jipped." Twigleg finally spoke up. "He gave us little to no information, told us not to follow him, and now there's no car."

"He didn't lie, though," Zenith spoke up he had his phone in his hand. Zenith then sighed heavily as if he understood something. "According to my phone records, I made a call to Ivan this morning-"

"I don't remember-" Atticus started but Zenith shook his head.

" _I_ didn't. But someone using my number did. Nobody else had my phone today."

"They've been using our numbers? Who? and Why?"

"Someone with some knowledge on electronics and as for why?..." Zenith brought his phone up and suddenly started gnawing the phone case. Weird Habit? Twigleg didn't know. He seemed to be thinking before finally sighing out. "Tracking. If anything. They used my phone number because they somehow knew Ivan would answer. So the only thing I could think is they made him answer to track him down."

"Bollocks." Atticus huffed out in mild anger. "Okay, so lets recap here..." He brought his hands up as it was clear he was just trying to think. "Sofi, Lucy, and Jason are all gone - somewhere in the states- Ben and Ivan are here but are currently being tracked- away from their dragons-"

"Someone wanted us all here..." It just completely hit Twigleg like a ton of bricks as he said it out loud. Atticus and Zenith both shared a worried look. Twigleg felt his little heart beat faster and faster. "This wasn't about Ivan's inheritance… it's an ambush!"

* * *

Ben shivered violently. Even though he was inside of house it very little to warm his soaked body up. Ivan seemed to be the same way as he too was shivering. They were at the dining table sitting next to one another. Ben's phone was sitting on the table next to him, charging.

This gave Ben a good moment to look around. The house wasn't big, not at all. The dining table was in the middle of the kitchen. The living room was just to the right, no wall separating the two. There was one hallway. Ben assumed there were one bathroom and two rooms down that hallway. Every wall seemed to be coated in a burnt orange paint giving the house a really... florescent vibe as the orange seem to bounce off and give them both an Oompa Loompa skin tone. Ben watched as Ms. Newlands came sweeping into the room with two heavy looking blankets in her arms. She wasted no time draping the blankets over both Ivan and Ben. Ben instantly felt relief from the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders tightly. "Thank you." Ben smiled at Ms. Newlands. She gave him a warm smile back. _'They have the same smile.'_ Ben thought before he looked away from Ms. Newlands

"Look at you... Mi Hijo." Mrs. Newland suddenly leaned down over Ivan's shoulder and suddenly pinched his right cheek between her forefinger and thumb. "You've gotten so big!" She cooed lovingly at him before pulling herself off of him and walking around so they were face to face. She gotten down to her knees and ever so gently rested her arms on top of Ivan's legs. She had a bittersweet expression on her face as she and Ivan just looked at each other for a long while. Ben couldn't help but smile sadly.

"Mom-"

"Why didn't you call me? Mi Hijo?" Ms. Newlands suddenly grabbed Ivan by his upper arms. Ben noticed how her nails looked freshly done in a new coat of red nail polish it just looked kind of odd to him. How this house was so small and Ivan said she was once living paycheck to paycheck to feed them... yet now she seemed to have enough money to get her nails done... Still, feeding one person is easier to manage than three...

"C-Call? Mom-" Ivan grabbed her wrists gently. "-I couldn't." He shook his head.

"Yes you could, Joshua. You always call me every Thursday... Eight at night... my time. Two in the morning with you." She teared up but Ivan suddenly wasn't sharing the same emotion as she was. He frowned. Deeply before looking at Ben a burning rage behind his eyes now.

"Mom-" Ivan shut his eyes and Ben could see he's split on telling his mom the truth and keeping his lie, he didn't get a chance to say anything as she spoke before he could.

"Josh when I heard about your father and brother... I feared that you wouldn't-that you didn't... that you died with them." She sniffled loudly before grabbing his hands in her own and then kissing them. "Why didn't you _call_ Joshy! You always call!" She almost screamed as little sobs escaped her mouth.

"... I'm sorry, Mom. I just... I couldn't. Not after dad died." A couple of tears fell out of Ivan's eyes before he pulled away from his mom to wipe the tears away. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Of course... but... why didn't you tell me you'd be here?"

"... I wanted to surprise you."

"Of course, Mi Hijo-" Her eyes trailed over to Ben for a moment. She then decided to focus all of her attention on Ben. "Who's your friend?" She asked Ivan.

"Oh, um, this is Benjamin." When she focused back to Ben, Ben just waved half-heartedly at her in return. "He's a really good friend."

"That's nice, you always had trouble making friends... I'm glad you found one... I'm going to see if I have any clean clothes you boys can wear. I don't want you getting sick." With that, she got off of her knees, dusted herself off, and went into the hallway. Neither of them spoke until they heard a door shut.

"That son of a bitch!" Ivan cursed in an angry whisper. "Dad let Josh keep in contact with mom!" Ben stood up and placed his hands on Ivan's shoulders.

"Sh! Don't speak so loud. She clearly thinks you're Josh!" Ben hushed him.

"I just can't believe this!" Ivan threw his hands up angerly. Ivan then let out a bitter laugh before shaking his head. "It's insane. Josh literally had all the things I wasn't allowed to have. Josh never got beaten, Josh got to talk to mom, Josh-"

"Yes, but where is Josh now, Ivan?" Ben grabbed Ivan's face with his one hand making Ivan look at him. Ben then let go of Ivan before sitting back down. Ben knew what needed to be done and he knew this wasn't going to be easy for Ivan to hear. "Tell her. Tell her the truth, Ivan. It's only cruel if you keep this charade up."

Ivan looked like a fish. Constantly opening and closing his mouth. Ben knew Ivan wanted to debate this, but he just couldn't figure out the right way to go about it. Finally, Ivan just sat down. "I don't know if I can... " he settled on saying. Ben sat down next to Ivan once again and gently grabbed Ivan's hand.

"I think you can."

Ivan sighed, got back up from his seat, wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulders, and finally set off down the hallway where his mother was. This left Ben alone. Ben sat there for just a moment before growing bored almost instantly. He stood up and felt Henry shift on his back just a little. Ben grimaced when he felt Henry's little claws dig into his arm as the rat climbed up to Ben's shoulder. "Comfy?" Ben asked him after Henry settled himself.

"She seems nice." Henry changed the subject.

"Yeah, she does."

"So, I'm confused. Who's this Josh?"

"Ivan's twin. He's dead... it's a long story."

"Huh, what a shame. I'm surprised Ivan isn't upset about it. Do you know? I lost one of my fifteen siblings to a cat once. Everyone cried about it for weeks."

Ben paused for a moment when he heard his cellphone go off on the table. _'Must be charged enough.'_ Ben thought before snatching his phone and looking at the caller ID. It was... "Oliver..." Ben almost groaned at seeing his biological dad's name pop up. A part of him really didn't want to answer it right now, but he knew Oliver needed someone to talk to. Poor sod lost a lot in the past few years. So, Ben answered.

"Yo." Ben greeted.

Static. Followed by the dial tone. Ben paused and looked at his phone with a raised eyebrow.

"Odd..."

* * *

Ivan could hear his mother shifting around in the room to his left. Her bedroom, it always has been. Feeling almost like a child again he paused for just a moment before knocking. "Yes?" He heard his mom answer and he opened the door. She had almost all of her drawers open and had even dumped one out on her bed. "Sorry. Pensé que tenía algunos por aquí (I thought I had some around here.)- men's clothes." She quickly muttered. Before going to the next drawer. "You know, Mi Hijo, I never really expected to see you again... let alone with that uh... _handsome_ friend of yours."

Ivan knew that tone. It was an excusing tone. "Mom... are you hinting at something?" Ivan chuckled a little nervously.

"Well, you two do seem close, Mi Hijo."

"We're friends-"

"-I don't recall friends touching each other quite that much, Mi Hijo."

"Oh please, we don't touch each other that much-"

"Him holding your hand? Your face?"

"Yeah, well-... wait..." Ivan paused and looked at his mother. "You were in here... oh... you heard. I was going to-"

"I knew it was you, Ivan. When you mentioned about wanting to surprise me... Josh hates surprises and hates surprising people." She let out a soft sob. "Why did you pretend to be him, I don't understand?" His mother put her face in her hand before letting out the long cry that made Ivan cringe with sadness. "¿Por qué fingía?" (Why did you pretend?)

Ivan sniffled and rubbed his nose. He couldn't see his mom as tears started to block his vision. "I..." Ivan paused and squeezed his eyes shut forcing the tears out of his vision. "Necesitaba proteger Ben." (I needed to protect Ben.) he confessed to her. "I needed to... please." Ivan almost sobbed out himself. "I couldn't bring Ben down with me. Not anymore."

"... I really don't think 'just friends' would do that." She was laughing but Ivan could hear no humor in her voice. "Oh, Mi Hijo. I'm just glad one of my boys made it out..." She hugged Ivan and rested her head on his chest. "I just wish your father was still alive as well... I just... could never imagine him killing himself."

"Mom... Dad was an ass." Ivan groaned loudly.

"Oh, don't say that. He was great to you boys."

"No, he wasn't. He beat me-"

"To be fair you were a stubborn child."

"So, that warrants being beaten within in an inch of my life?"

"Not that extreme... no. But, James did love you, boys. That's why he changed his last name you know? So, nobody would hunt you guys down-" She rubbed her upper arms awkwardly. "He really didn't like fighting with you two-"

"Hmph."

"Honestly! Babe-" She grabbed Ivan's hands. "If it ever came to it and you two got... I don't know a fist fight or something... he wouldn't raise his hand to you. Maybe he hit you for being bad, but that's different."

Ivan almost got ready to disprove her. Almost. His mind went back to that night. The night he pushed his father out of the window. James... didn't even push Ivan away. Ivan just assumed he had surprised his father...

"He loved you both so much. I think more than you can ever know. Strict? Yes, very. But I believe your father had a reason for it. He didn't want you two getting into trouble, or worse kidnapped because of his questionable studies, that's why I had to beg him to take you two. He... honestly didn't want you two to get involved, but... I told him... with him gone. I couldn't raise you two on my own." She hugged Ivan again, resting her head on his chest once more. "And he couldn't send me money because he was afraid people would track us down...The last thing he wanted was to get us involved in his studies."

 _'Bullshit. Lies, lies, lies.'_ Ivan had to stop himself from shaking his head. Still... He couldn't bring himself to ruin the... obviously happy memories his mother held for James. So, Ivan did what any good son would do. He bit his tongue. "Of course, mom. Of course. Hey-" Ivan paused for a moment and sighed out loudly. "... I did something kind of illegal. Dad left Josh an inheritance... long story short it's my inheritance now... you don't happen to own any... bolt cutters do you?"

Ivan questioned as he threw the blanket off of him and took off his backpack. He then opened his bag and took out the big metal box. "Estúpidos abogados de culo (Dumb ass lawyers)" Ivan chuckled. She looked at the box like he had, rattled it, before setting it down on her bed.

"I got a money inheritance from him... so what could this be?" She questioned.

"I was kind of hoping it'd be money."

"No, James wouldn't lock money up to this tight... You know, Mi Hijo I think I have some bolt cutters out in the shed. In the backyard?"

"Nice!" Ivan jumped happily. "I'll finally get to see what's in this! I'll go and get them."

"You do that, Mi Hijo. In meantime, I'll make some hot cocoa for you and your 'friend'." She winked before shuffling away to the living room.

"Yeah. My friend." Ivan chuckled and snatched the metal box off of the bed. He followed behind his mother and looked over to Ben. Ben now had the blanket over the top of his head. "Hey, Ben. I'm going to get some bolt cutters from the shed out back. We're finally cracking this baby open."

"Oh, good. Hey... I just got a weird call from Oliver."

"Right, he's still a thing, isn't he. What he say?"

"Nothing. He hung up right after I answered... I just feel like something isn't right."

"Look, it's been a rough week. Okay? It's just your paranoia-" Ivan touched Ben's face. "We'll be fine. Maybe it was a bad connection. I mean he is the UK and we're in the USA."

Ben smiled at him. It was just a small smile, but a smile none the less. "Maybe you're right-"

"Totally friends, right Mi Hijo?" His mother poked her head out from the kitchen to watch them. Ivan let go of Ben's face before coughing awkwardly.

"I'mma go and get those bolt cutters. I'll be right back."

Ivan then left through the back door. The rain had stopped, thankfully. It was just the black night sky to greet them and cold wind but that was about it. Ivan actually felt his breath stop as he looked at the backyard. It was as he remembered it. Small, but the grass was still lush and a bright green. There was still the lone pine tree off in the corner of their yard. Every fall the yard would be covered in red pine needles it was kind of funny. He used to love to pick up the brown fallen pollen off the ground and scrape his thumb down it. He missed those days. Ivan quickly gave his head a good shake knocking his nostalgia off and focusing.

The shed was to his right. It was once a bright candy red... once. Now it seemed to be an old gray with the candy red paint no longer there. As Ivan walked over to the shed his mind started to wonder. _'Ben is just a friend. A very good friend...'_

 _'Is he though?'_ The more reasonable side of his thoughts decided to butt on in. _'I mean... C'mon. Mom is right! No normal friends touch each other as much as we do! The other night we were cuddling.'_

 _'For warmth!'_

 _'For warmth?! That's just an excuse! Face it! You... may have feelings for Ben.'_ Ivan opened the shed door, mildly surprised that the door didn't fall off of its hinges. The shed was covered in dust, spiderwebs, and mold. Clearly, it hasn't been touched in years. There was a work table and under that work table propped up on the leg were the bolt cutters Ivan was looking for. They were rusted and when Ivan grabbed them a could of spiders went fleeing the other way. Ivan grabbed both handles and did his best to pull them apart. No go. They were rusted shut. "Oil..." Ivan did a quick look around the shed and found nothing. "Maybe mom'll have some cooking oil or something-"

All Ivan felt was a pain in the back of his head.

* * *

When Twigleg returned to the house with Atticus and Zenith. (Atticus had to pick the lock) Lola was a little less than impressed. "Oh, you again." She huffed at Atticus while keeping little Henrick behind her.

Atticus just made a noise but that's about it. Twigleg had to admit it was kind of funny to see Atticus keep his distance from Lola. "Still afraid of rats?" Twigleg climbed down from Atticus's coat and jumped to the floor easily.

 _"Still afraid of rats?"_ Atticus mocked loudly much to Twigleg's amusement.

"Where's Rosa?" Twigleg asked Lola.

"Who's Rosa?" Zenith was the one to ask.

"Uh- oof!" Before Twigleg could answer Rosa came running up and hugged him.

"You're back!" Rosa greeted Twigleg.

"Ohhh." Both vampires chimed in at the same time.

"Rosa..." Twigleg made sure she was paying attention when he started to sign to her. "This is Atticus and...Zenith." He introduced her.

She didn't respond verbally, she signed to him. "They have sharp teeth."

"You can see that?" He signed back.

"Yes."

"They're vampires. Don't worry, they're friendly-"

"Finger fangs. Cute." Atticus chuckled at Twigleg. He then got down to one knee and offered his hand to Rosa for a handshake. "So, I take it she's deaf?" He shook hands with Rosa.

"Yes. Well, she might have some hearing but not a lot. Do you know sign language, Atticus?"

"God, no. I never bothered with that one- oh." Atticus got back to his feet and fished out his phone for whatever reason.

"Zenith? Do you know sign language?" Twigleg asked him.

"I do not. I only know English- and who's this little guy?" Zenith asked with a smile as he looked at Henrick.

"My son, thank you very much." Lola huffed at Zenith. Henrick little thin whiskers twitched with curiosity before he got down on all fours and padded up to Zenith. "Henrick-"

"Hi there." Zenith ran his index finger over Henrick's head and under his ears. "You're a cutie." Zenith cooed.

"Okay, we need to make a plan. We need to know what to do and how we're doing it." Atticus cut in before sitting his butt firmly on the floor. "Right now, we're missing Ben, Josh, Lucy, Sofi, Ivan, Firedrake, and Issiah-"

"-And Esmeralda!" Rosa butt in firmly.

"-And Esmeralda- wait, who's Esmeralda?" Atticus questioned Twigleg and Rosa. Zenith let out a groan before sitting next to Atticus with his legs folded under him.

"Her mistress? I take it?" Zenith asked.

"Yep." Twigleg nodded and so did Rosa.

"Okay... let's focus one person at a time here. We need to be a group. Ben and Ivan are around here somewhere. Let's find them first." Atticus spoke firmly. Twigleg nodded in agreement, this was followed up by Zenith nodding as well. Atticus's fingers tapped against the hardwood floor of the home impatiently as he thought quietly. "Lola? is that your plane?" Atticus suddenly questioned as he crawled over to the damaged plane.

"Careful with that! It's damaged enough!" Lola hissed at Atticus. Atticus looked at the plane carefully before he grabbed the wing that was bent and moved it back into place like it was nothing. He then grabbed the bent propellers and put those back in place as well. He then placed the plane back down on the ground. "Oh." Lola blinked. "You fixed it?"

"Do you think you can get up in the air? I can tell it's just a little worse for wear but can it still fly?" Atticus questioned her.

"Well... I think. There's only one way to really find out." Lola cautiously walked over to her plane. Henrick followed behind her. Hoping on the plane's wing she wiggled herself into the cockpit and in seconds the plane roared to life. The propeller spun quickly and Lola suddenly shut the plane off. "Take me outside! Quick!" She ordered. Atticus picked up the plane, Zenith was quick to pick up Henrick, Twigleg, and Rosa and the two of them headed outside. Atticus did a quick look around once outside to make sure the coast was clear. Once so, he placed Lola and her plane down on the ground.

Zenith held Henrick in his hand while Rosa and Twigleg stood on his shoulder watching the plane.

"Twigleg-" Rosa tugged on Twigleg's sleeve. Twigleg almost didn't want to give her attention right now, he was too focused on seeing if Lola could get up in the air again. The propeller turned and Lola started to drive forward. "Twigleg, something isn't right." Rosa's tone made Twigleg focus on her. She was looking pale and almost sickly. "I don't feel good. I don't think Esmeralda..." Rosa put her hand on her head, she then let out a whimper and rested her head on Twigleg's shoulder and groaned loudly. "What's happening to her?" Rosa whimpered. "Twigleg they're hurting her." She sniffled loudly.

"Yes!" Atticus suddenly cheered loudly before clapping his hands. Twigleg wrapped his arms around Rosa gently in hopes to give her some sort of comfort. Twigleg could see Lola's plane up in the air. _'She really is the best rat pilot.'_ Twigleg thought for a moment as he watched Lola fly in the air- for about three seconds because off in the distance, maybe two blocks away from them, her plane stalled and down she went into someone's backyard. "Shit!" Atticus screamed.

And off they were.

* * *

"Ivan!" Sherri called out in the backyard.

"Surely the bolt cutters shouldn't be that hard to find." Ben stood next to Sherri. The two of them just look at one another before it seemed like they had the same thought as together they stepped into the back yard and over towards the shed. The first thing Ben saw was Ivan lying face down and he booked it to him. "Ivan!" Ben dropped down beside Ivan's prone form.

"Mi Hijo!" Sherri screamed in a shrill voice.

At first Ben was confused, what knocked Ivan out? Then in the corner of the shed, Ben saw it. A very familiar candy red plane. "Lola?" He whispered. Ben bought his hand up and moved some cobwebs away from his face before scooting over to the far corner.

"Lola?" Sherri asked in a worried tone.

"Ben?" It was Lola's voice and Ben almost could have cried. It was like hearing the voice of a little angel. _'Secrets be damned'_ Ben thought before he cupped his hand out for Lola to jump on.

"Oh, Lola. Am I glad to see you." Lola jumped into Ben's hand and actually hugged his arm.

"Who is-" Sherri let out a scream once she saw the rat in Ben's good hand.

"It's okay. She's harmless." Ben chuckled at Sherri before he gently scratched Lola behind her ears. "I missed you so much." Sherri let out a sudden and shaky gasp.

"La Rata!" Sherri took a startled step away from Ben and Lola.

Ivan let out a groan suddenly making everyone look at him. Ivan's fingers twitched before he opened his eyes moved his head up to look at all of them. "What hit me?"

"I did." Lola raised her paw.

"Talking la rata!" Sherri huddled away from them and stomped her foot. "Talking la rata!" She shrieked in fear and pulled at her curly black hair. She stomped her heels into the ground.

"Easy, mom. It's just Lola- oh, hi Lola." Ivan greeted as he got up from his spot on the floor. Ivan cringed as he rubbed his sore head.

Ben then heard the unmistakable sound of a metal fence rattling. Someone had climbed over a fence. "Lola!" A little spark went off in Ben's mind as he heard a familiar voice.

"Atticus!" Ben practically lost his mind at the sound of his friend's voice calling off in the distance. Ben rushed past Ivan and out of the shed. Just ten feet away, next to the pine tree, and there he was. Atticus standing next to Zenith. Twigleg and Rosa on Zenith's shoulders. There was a heartbeat of silence between the two parties as Ivan came walking up beside Ben. Ben felt so overwhelmed at that moment as so many emotions ran through his body and his mind. Finally, letting out sigh Ben ran forward and hugged Atticus around the middle. "You have no clue how happy I am to see you guys!"


	15. Chapter 15

"Mama, no!" Belle viciously grabbed a hold of her mother's arm in a feeble attempt to talk some sense into her. "You promised!" Belle almost snarled. She heard Issiah roar loudly in pain. Several hundred men all crowded around the blue dragon doing what they could to subdue him. Issiah is a fighter and wasn't going down without taking a few humans with him. Belle watched as he blew his dangerous fire at several people, lighting them ablaze and she was sure he had already killed two, however; there were too many people and pretty soon they actually managed to secure his mouth shut.

"Stop them, Mama! Stop them!" Belle started tugging on her mom's arm in desperation.

"That's enough-" Belle gasped as her mother harshly slapped her upside the head. Belle saw stars for a few seconds and actually stumbled back. "-Now-" Her mother suddenly grabbed Belle by the straps of her sundress and pulled her in close and threateningly growled. "-We have news reporters coming. You aren't to make a scene." Belle couldn't look at her mother. Instead, she just looked down before tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Yes, Mama-" Belle whispered.

"What? I didn't hear you." Her mother pulled her closer.

"Yes... Mama." Belle spoke a little louder.

"That's a good girl, now-" Her mother let go of her dress straps and just patted Belle on the head like she was a little girl. "-Why don't you tell Mama all you've learned about this dragon and why you couldn't give me both dragons like requested? Hm?"

* * *

"Henry!"

"Lola!"

Ben watched as the two rats ran up to one another before hugging affectionately. The two of them actually started to twirl around in each other's arms before nuzzling their noses together. "I thought for sure your father had killed you!" Lola cried as she stopped twirling with Henry. The two of them then embraced.

"Place me down! Place me down!" A small voice suddenly came from Atticus's hands that made Ben raise an eyebrow. Atticus actually dug into his shirt pocket and he pulled out a tiny baby rat.

"Most people carry tissues in their shirt pockets..." Ivan laughed at Atticus. Atticus only sneered at Ivan and then he gently set the rat down. Once the rat was down and out of his hands Atticus shuttered very obviously before turning to Sherri.

"You got hand any sanitizer?"

Ben would have laughed at Atticus's behavior but in all honesty, he just couldn't stop looking at the baby rat. "No way..." Ben whispered to himself. He rubbed his chin as he watched all three rats hug one another. "Lola, this baby is yours?" He finally asked Lola.

Lola's nose twitched before she looked at Ben. "Yes, this is little Henrick. Henrick, this is Ben." Lola gave Henrick a little push towards Ben. Henrick walked on all fours whereas Lola seemed to like being bipedal. Henrick walked up to Ben and Ben brought his hand out to pet Henrick. Henrick smelt the tip of Ben's finger before suddenly giggling.

"Mama! He only has one arm!" Henrick suddenly spoke up almost excitedly.

"Henrick!" Lola pulled him back away from Ben. Ben just laughed a little awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Ben."

"He's just a baby. I understand." Ben then tapped Henrick's snoot with his finger affectionately. "And I'm going to repeat to you what I do with Jackson. It will not grow back." Ben smiled at the rat before looking back at Atticus and Zenith. Atticus was now rubbing in a pretty good amount of hand sanitizer into his skin.

"Seriously?" Ben raised an eyebrow at Atticus's antics.

"I got the plague more than enough times, thank you." Atticus defended himself.

"We Graytails don't even carry the plague!" Lola hissed at Atticus. Ben just shook his head at the two of them.

"A rat is a rat!" Atticus hissed back. Zenith placed his hands on Atticus's shoulders and lightly pulled him back away from Lola. Lola's fur raised up and so did Henry's, but before the situation could escalate to dangerous levels a loud and startling ' _Clang'_ made everyone in the room jump nearly ten feet in the air, hell, Ms. Newlands let out a yelp from it. Everyone then turned towards Ivan. Ivan, who had been doing his own thing this whole time, used cooking oil to unhinge the rusted bolt cutters and had proceeded to cut the metal lock off of the box. The clang was the lock falling to the floor.

"Finally," Ivan seemed to sigh in mild relief. All tension between parties seemed to vanish. Lola, Henrick, and Henry climbed up to the table and walked cautiously up to the box. Ben just stared at the metal box for a few seconds before walking up to be beside Ivan. Atticus and Zenith walked over as well, both staying beside Ben while Ms. Newlands stood on Ivan's other side. For a moment it seemed like nobody wanted to say or do anything as they all just looked at the box in front of them. Finally, with shaky hands, Ivan grasped the cold metal sides before lifting the top off.

"Its... Uh..." Ivan made a face as did everyone else in the room. He then pulled out a notebook. "Just a notebook?" Ivan raised an eyebrow. The notebook was just a normal red color spiral notebook that anyone could buy for just a single pound.

"Open it, Mi Hijo." Ms. Newlands almost demanded.

Ivan looked at Ben before opening the first page of the notebook. A CD popped out and clattered on the floor causing Ivan to jump before quickly bending down and snatching the CD up. "God, Dad," Ivan huffed and blew on the CD to get any dust off. "It's just a normal CD you burn stuff on."

"Do you have a DVD player?" Atticus asked Ms. Newlands.

"I think so..."

Ms. Newlands quickly shuffled away to the next room. While she did that Ivan gently placed the disk down on the table and focused on the notebook. "Why shove a DVD or CD in a notebook and not a sleeve of some sort?" Ben asked as he inspected over Ivan's shoulder. It was just a blank disk; no cover, no writing, nothing.

"Dad was one paranoid son of a bitch," Ivan huffed. "clearly he didn't want someone else to get their hands on this? I dunno."

"Es un poco Viejo _-_ it may work still." (It is a little old) Ms. Newlands came strutting on into the living room with a dusty black DVD player in her arms.

"You don't have it hooked up?" Atticus asked her as he took it from her hands and went to hook up to the TV.

"It was a gift. No tengo películas."(I don't own movies) Ms. Newlands shrugged like it was nothing.

"Ma, que tenía un montón de películas _._ " (You had a ton of movies) Ivan spoke up as he opened the first page of the notebook.

"No, Mi Hijo-" Ms. Newlands paused to shake her head at him. "I only owned Disney movies- VHS- for you boys. Oh, how you loved those movies..." She sighed loudly at the distant memory. "You loved _The Lion King_ You'd always scream at the top of your lungs at the start of the movie." Ms. Newlands let out a weak chuckle before shaking her head. While they spoke; Ben looked over Ivan's shoulder to read the open notebook.

 _To my son, Joshua, there is something you must know-_

Ben paused as he finished that sentence. Without thinking or asking he snatched the book out of Ivan's hands. "Ben-"

"Sh! Listen! All of you!" Ben silenced them and proceeded to read off of the page. "To my son, Joshua, there is something you must know... You aren't alone like you think you are right now. Not only do I pass down all of my research to you in the video hidden in this very notebook, but... Aside from your twin Ivan... I wish for you to know you have..." Ben was breathing heavily as he looked directly at Ivan. "... other siblings... half-siblings"

Ivan didn't get to respond. Not as fast as his mother anyway. "Lies! You lie!" Ms. Newlands absolutely seethed at Ben.

"It's right here if you don't believe me. In James's handwriting." Ben showed her the notebook. While Ms. Newlands snatched the book out of Ben's hands, Ben looked at Ivan for some sort of reaction- expecting anger- Ben was surprised to see... well. indifference on Ivan's face.

"This just-" a couple of vowels escaped Ms. Newlands mouth as she tried to form a sentence. "-¡ Estábamos casados!" She screamed before flashing her wedding ring at all of them. Ben didn't know Spanish to know what she had just said. Clearly, she's just now finding out that James isn't exactly a nice man. "-Are! We never got a divorce!" She roared in her anger before slamming the notebook down on the ground. "Married! I stayed faithful!"

"I told you, Ma, Dad's a dick." Ivan shrugged. "I'm honestly not surprised. I'm surprised I wasn't told sooner- for sure- but I always kind of... knew. I mean my dad isn't exactly a monk."

"Married?" Twigleg- who had been insanely quiet- suddenly spoke from atop the dining table. Rosa was next to him, just watching intently. Ben felt a pang of guilt looking at Rosa, in fact, he couldn't look at her. Not with Esmeralda- _'God, I am a jerk...'_ Ben sucked in a deep breath at his thought. Twigleg then suddenly laughed making Ben jump a little at his tone change. "Forgive me, miss. But the thought of James actually marrying someone-" Twigleg continued to chuckle.

This, unfortunately, caused a chain reaction. First, it was Twigleg's laughs... then Atticus joined in. It was clear that Atticus was trying to stifle his as he continued to set up the DVD player, but a sharp intake of breath was all it took for him to blow his cover. "Atticus, behave." Ben scolded his friend... before turning to Zenith who let his own series of laughs. He tried to hide his behind his hand but was failing.

"I'm sorry!" Zenith laughed and threw his hands up in the air in defense once he got sight of Ben's glare. "But... _James?_ C'mon the guy was as unstable as unstable got! The fact that he did something as mundane as marriage is... shocking."

"Married?" Ivan wasn't laughng, but was just a little bewildered as he grabbed his mom's hand and looked at the wedding ring. "Dad never said you two were... married."

"Ay. We married right after high school, Sweetheart."

"Come again?" Ivan didn't seem to comprehend what his mom just said. "Married? After high school? Now, I know my dad, he always has a plan-"

"Not always, Mi Hijo. We really didn't plan on you and your brother."

"Oh..."

The air hung heavy for a few seconds after that. Nobody really knowing what to say after that bombshell was dropped. Till, Ms. Newlands spoke again. "You know, you give your father some flack for being 'a dick' all the time. Be happy. You never got to meet his father. You want to talk about a mean man... He was the reason James and I had to get married. You know?" Ms. Newlands just sighed loudly before wrapping her arms around her arms almost defensively. "He never liked me... Always called me a whore. Gold digger. You name it-"

"Okay, I think I got it." Atticus stood back up. "The DVD, thank you." Ivan passed it on to Atticus who turned on the TV, popped the DVD into the player and they all waited as Atticus now tried to find the right channel.

While they waited Ben felt a presence standing very close to him. "Yes, Zenith?" Ben asked the taller man without even needing to look up. Yes, Ben was at least able to be in the same room as him, and talk to him, but still... Befriending his kidnapper was just... odd to say the least. It made Ben shrink a little while Zenith towered over him. Ben looked over to Ivan, but for once his nose was shoved into a book- his father's notebook to be exact. Ben awkwardly looked up at Zenith after a few moments of Zenith just staring at him.

"Is everything alright?"

"Well... let's see- Firedrake and Issiah are missing. I haven't really slept well in the past three days only getting three hours of sleep at most-" Ben paused to run his fingers almost frantically through his curly messy hair. "-I've been hunted like a dog by these men-" There was no stopping him now. Zenith opened a can of worms and there was no stopping Ben now. "I made a friend! Didn't get to meet her!? Because we had to _abandon_ her! I had to abandon my pack as well! Lost a good chunk of my clothes- including the cloak- I'm doing just great!" Ben breathed heavily- he was pretty sure he looked mildly psychotic as everyone just stared at him. All with different levels of pity.

"Where is Esmeralda?" Rosa, who must have been reading Ben's lips, spoke up from the dinning table. "Where is she?"

Ben let out a soft sigh before looking away from Rosa. "It's a long story."

"Ben..." He heard Twigleg sigh loudly. Ben didn't hear anything, but he figured that Twigleg was signing to Rosa the best he could. Zenith let out an awkward cough before rubbing his nose and going back to awkwardly standing there. Ben felt guilt way heavily on him like a thick blanket.

"Oh... shit." Atticus's startled voice caused Ben in instinctively look up at him and at the TV. Ben felt his blood run ice cold at what he was seeing on the TV. Atticus had switched to a news channel and-

"Ivan..." Ben squeaked out. He reached over to his friend, who still had his face shoved into a the notebook, and lightly slapped the book out of Ivan's hands.

"Hey-" Ivan cut himself off as he looked over to the TV.

On the TV there was Issiah… all chained up for all of the world to see. Issiah was thrashing wildly around trying to free himself from his bonds. Ben was sure if Issiah's mouth wasn't forced shut with a metal clamp he would have been spewing fire all over the place. Ben wasn't really focusing too much on Issiah though. Ben's eyes was on the headlines.

 ** _A Dragon takes down four scientists in his wake._**

Ben's airway felt tight; it almost felt like he was being strangled by a snake. His stomach twisted violently and he realized he was about to vomit. In fact, he was already starting to gag.

"... Somebody better tell me where the fuck this is being broadcasted!" Ivan snarled violently. His temper was in the red. Unlike Ben, he wasn't going quiet instead Ivan was going violent. "I'm...-" A man had come on the screen and seemed to be bold as he walked up to Issiah and dared to pluck a scale from the dragon's hind. "- _Get your fucking hands off of him!"_ Ivan's voice reached such a high level that his vocal cords cracked.

"Mi Hijo!" Mrs. Newlands gasped. "It's a dragon! Why are you like this-"

"He's my dragon!"

"Your dragon! Mi Hijo! Your so funny-"

"I'm not joking!- Stop!" Ivan went back to focusing on the TV another man had come up to Issiah to look at (or take) his scales. Ben couldn't take it anymore. His stomach flipped. Ben hardly made it to the kitchen sink in time as he threw up what little food he had in his stomach. _'It's your fault! It's your fault!'_ Ben's inner voice mocked him as he continued to vomit in the sink. Ben felt a hand pat his back soothingly. "God!" Ben practically screamed out in the sink.

"Please don't-" Zenith's pained voice almost pleaded with Ben. "-say that."

Ben lazily brought the back of his hand up and wiped some loose spit from his chin. Ben only shook his head for a second before rubbing his stump. "Zenith-" Ben looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back at Zenith. "-What are we going to do now?" Ben then rested his forehead head against Zenith's shoulder. He didn't have the strength to be afraid of Zenith right now.

Ben felt Zenith's arm raise up, before feeling Zenith pat his hair rather awkwardly. "I don't know, but... I can tell you we aren't going to rest until both dragons are safe."

"Zenith?... I don't think Firedrake was captured with Issiah."

"I don't think so either. Which is good... as bad as it is for me to say: Them having one dragon is better than them having both dragons."

Ben finally pulled his head off of Zenith's shoulder and sighed. Zenith placed his hands on both of Ben's shoulders before letting out his own sigh. Zenith then let go of Ben and finally turned away from Ben. With his back turned to Ben, Ben didn't know why, but he spoke so suddenly that he couldn't stop it. "I'm sorry!-" Zenith spun around quickly. "-About Kuriana... I'm sorry we weren't fast enough to save her... I wish we could have."

"Right... Kuriana... Well, I will work hard to make sure that neither Issiah nor Firedrake succumb to that kind of fate."


	16. Chapter 16

"Ivan slow down." Ben spoke calmly to Ivan as his friend was now currently packing up everything, including the disk. They didn't even get to see what's on it at the moment.

"No! You saw what they're doing to Issiah, Ben! I will not slow down! I will not stop! Not until Issiah is safe again!" Ivan.

"I know, Ivan. But going to Detroit? Ivan... I'm with the others on this. This is all possibly an ambush-" Ben tried to reason with Ivan, but all it did was just fall on deaf ears as Ivan continued to collect his stuff and shove them into his bag. "Ivan... Someone wants your head...possibly mine as well." Ben looked over to Mrs. Newlands to make sure she wasn't paying attention to them. Thankfully she found a distraction in Twigleg and Rosa away from Ben. "... What if the security videos leaked?" Ben whispered to Ivan. "Zenith said he wasn't able to hide them well in time. Anybody could have gotten a hold of them."

"Yeah, but he went back once it was done and deleted them."

"Not all of them."

"Ben... the only one that was missing was the one between you and Josh-"

Nearly everyone jumped as Ben's cellphone suddenly went off in his pocket. Ben let out a tsk before fishing his cellphone out of his pocket. _Guinevere-_ Before Ben could answer his phone was snatched out of his hand. "Hey!" He shouted at Atticus's sudden rudeness. "Ben, you can't answer this!-I'm sorry we forgot to tell you...but we're sure that someone is using our numbers to track you guys- not just our numbers but all sorts of numbers you wouldn't think twice about answering."

"How would you know that?" Ivan almost scoffed at Atticus. Ben was just feeling anxious, not because of what Atticus had said but because the phone just kept ringing. This was telling Ben that Guinevere was probably calling back. Ben started to tap his fingers against his thigh.

"Because I went through our call logs and found your number on mine a few days ago... I never called you."

Ben's phone went silent for a second before it started ringing yet again. "Well, clearly it's not them! I mean they wouldn't call multiple times! Please just give me my phone back!" Ben tried to grab it but Atticus kept it out of his reach. "She's probably worried! I'm sure Issiah reached international headlines by now!"

"Ben! I don't think we can take the chance-"

"I already did! I think... We both did! Oliver called me and I answered! You called Ivan and he answered... We already took those calls... Why would they call me again? Please! She's worried." Ben almost felt close to tears. He just wanted to make sure she was okay, that they weren't dragged into the current chaos. That gave Atticus the shock Ben needed to snatch his phone back. Ben didn't waste time answering.

"Guin-"

"What...happened!? It's all over the world..." Guinevere sounded breathless and all around astonished. "Is Firedrake safe?"

"..." Ben's mind ran blank. He had no idea what to say, he just couldn't say words...

"Say something!" Guinevere borderline shrieked at Ben once he didn't answer.

"..." Ben felt his eyes sting from tears. The tears could have been from stress, fear, or just his own mental instability at the moment. "...We got separated... we've been separated for the past... three or four days now..." Ben finally told her.

"Why am I not surprised... why didn't you tell us!" He heard Guinevere tiredly sigh on the other side.

"I didn't want you guys to worry... Look-" Ben paused when he saw everyone now staring at him all of them wondering just what his next move was going to be now. Truth is... Ben really didn't know what the next move was going to be. He felt his brow furrow as he looked at everyone in the room. "... We're getting him back."

"Ben..." There was a sad tone in Guinevere's voice. "... I really want Jackson to have an older brother."

"I know and he will... once the dragons are safe..."

Guinevere didn't even say goodbye. She just hung up. _'That kind of stung.'_ Ben concluded before setting his phone down on the table. He then proceeded to drag his hand down his face. "I'm exhausted." Ben could feel a headache forming.

"So... what's the plan?" Zenith asked him if not a little awkwardly so not to step on Ben's toes at the moment.

Ben just shook his head. "I don't know. Right now, I don't have one." He never lifted his head from his hand.

Ivan was the one to pipe up next."Well, we know Issiah is being held in Detroit... that's like right on the Canadian border if I remember correctly."

"So, you're saying we magically hijack a dragon and cross the border?" Atticus actually laughed. "You know Issiah's going to be _heavily_ guarded. We only got lucky the first time he got kidnapped."

Ben felt a small hand on top of his making him stop and look at Twigleg. "We'll figure something out..." Twigleg tried to urge Ben in a positive direction.

"Yeah... something soon, hopefully... I have to use the loo, I'll be back." Ben let out a bit of a sigh, but got up and went to the restroom. Ben was quick about doing his business, once done he started to wash his hand. Ben, naturally, tried to move his stop so he could wash his other hand... but alas...

He looked down at his stub and sighed loudly at it. "You aren't exactly making my life any easier you know?" He scolded his missing limb. There was a knock at the door. "Yeah?" Ben answered and the door cautiously opened as if giving Ben a bit of a warning. "I'm decent." Ben chuckled and Ivan opened the door more fully.

"Hey, just letting you know I think we got a plan. We're gonna go to Detroit-"

"Such a plan-" Ben gave Ivan a little half smile. "how?"

"We're taking my mom's car."

Ben felt what little smile he had dropped. "Are you kidding? We can't just... take your mom's car and go halfway across the states!"

"She said we could, Ben. We don't have any other options! Issiah is in danger we need to get Detroit ASAP. Okay?" Ivan's tone was telling Ben there was no more room for argument. Ben kept his frown on his face.

"What about Esme? Or Winston? Or Atticus's children?" Ben did in fact argue.

"We'll have to get to all of them next, Ben. Right now- and I can't believe I'm saying this to you- Issiah needs to be saved first! You should know this!"

"I know! It's just... What if... we lose them all? Atticus will never see his kids again, Esmeralda? Oh, god- she's trans-"

"Ben, Ben, It's going to be alright!" Ivan harshly grabbed Ben by the shoulders in order to get him to focus. "We've been over this. Okay? One step at a time... We'll get everyone back and to safety, but right now we need to get to Issiah first."

Ben let out a sigh before suddenly resting his forehead against Ivan's. "Why did things have to get so complicated?" he whispered his question to Ivan. Ben felt Ivan awkwardly pat his hair in an attempt to comfort him. Ben, let out a deep breath before suddenly latching himself on to Ivan in a hug. Ivan seemed to allow this as he wrapped his arms around Ben's shoulders. Ben squeezed his eyes shut before resting his chin on Ivan's shoulder. "Ivan?"

Ivan chuckled and Ben could actually hear Ivan's unsteady breathing with every laugh that left. It almost made Ben feel a little more at peace hearing such a trivial thing. "Yeah?"

"How did you get your mom to agree to us taking her car? I mean sure she has places to be." Ben pulled away from Ivan to look at him. Ivan, rather awkwardly, scratched his chin before giving Ben another chuckle.

"Well... "

And to say the car ride was made way more awkward with Ben smooshed in the backseat with Ivan on his left and Mrs. Newlands on his right. Twigleg on one shoulder, Rosa on the other, and the family of rats sitting in the cupholders.

* * *

Belle tried her hardest to ignore Issiah's roars coming from downstairs. Her mind was absolutely riddled with guilt. This was all her fault and she knew it. She wished she had the bravery to have come clean to Issiah or Firedrake earlier- to tell them to flee... to tell them where Illinois really was... but she's a big coward. She feared the wrath of her mother more than the wrath of a dragon. Belle clutched at the sides of her dirtied sundress. Her mother had demanded that she change out of it, but... Belle didn't want to, Even after her shower she instantly went back into her dirty dress. She knew that her mother would be too busy to really care about what Belle was wearing right now anyways.

Belle looked at herself in the mirror that hung on her dresser. Her hair now clean and back to his pretty blonde color, the cut that was on her hairline, the one her mother had given her with a broken bottle, was gone. She was so worried it was going to scar permanently, but it didn't. Even the slap her mother had given her early on reddened for a little while but now was gone. She literally came out of this unscathed and she hated it. She hated that she was clean and warm while Issiah was currently suffering. Belle clutched her upper arm, bit her lip, she tried to stop her tears from welling up in her eyes, but all that did was cause her to ugly cry before sobbing out loudly. Belle put her hands over her eyes and continued to cry loudly. Her shoulders shook with each pitiful and pathetic sob that left her mouth. "Forgive me, Issiah!" She screamed knowing full well he couldn't hear her.

Belle finally looked up at herself in the mirror once again before opening up the very first drawer in the dresser. With tears falling down her eyes nonstop now, she sniffled loudly before pulling out a framed picture of the one and only: James Marrs. Quietly, she ran her thumb over the man in the picture. "This is your fault- _your_ fault!" Belle seethed between her clenched teeth. She had to be cautious, she knew if her mother caught her talking about James it would only cause a problem. "I _hate_ you so much! I never even met you and I hate you..." More tears continued to fall out of Belles eyes and she brought her arm up to quickly wipe them away. Belle... She just couldn't stop herself. Her temper was at it's limit and once she heard Issiah let out another painful roar she let out her own scream-

And proceeded to bash the framed picture against the sharp corner. It didn't break at first but it did crack and so she raised the picture over her head and full forcefully slammed the picture down. A satisfactory 'crack' was heard before the glass broke and the whole frame snapped in half. She didn't stop there though. She then threw the remaining frame on the ground she had half a mind to start stomping- but she quickly realized that wasn't a good idea as she didn't have shoes on, so... she settled on staring at the broken frame and torn picture with a glare of pure hatred. Finally, she spat on it. "I'm glad you're dead... I had a friend... and because of... what you did to my mother, you brainwashed her...and now my friend is gone... he's gone..."

"Darling?" Belle gasped at her mother's voice. Realizing what she had done, Belle looked at the mess before dropping down and quickly picking up the shards and remains. She could hear her mothers footsteps coming closer and closer- so, Belle did what any normal sixteen year old would do- and Belle quickly shoved the broken picture and frame under her bed. Belle just got the blanket down to cover the gap between the floor and bed when her mother came in. Her mother only looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you on the floor?" She asked. Belle quickly stood up and smoothed her dress out.

"I fell." She lied trying to hide it with a cute smile.

"Clumsy girl..." Her mother sighed before scooping Belle into a hug. "My Clumsy little rose." Her mother started to pet Belle's hair. She then pulled Belle back and held her at arm's length. "I'm sorry about earlier. Momsy was under a lot of stress and didn't mean to strike you like that."

Belle looked down at her carpet- suddenly her mom snatched her chin and forced Belle to look her in the eyes. "I've come in contact with our lovely little hunters- I heard they got a good catch this time, and if you behave maybe momsy will get you a protentional friend? hm?"

Belle just gave her mom a fake little smile. "... Yeah. Sounds..." Belle paused for a moment before swallowing the lump in her throat. _'I had a friend...'_ "-Great."

* * *

Firedrake crossed one paw over the other as he watched Sorrel pick some pine needles off of the ground before shoving them into her mouth. "Yuk... American pine needles taste horrible." Sorrel stuck her tongue out before spitting prechewed pine needle pulp out of her mouth. Firedrake gave her bit a of a pity chuckle as she came walking back over to him.

"... Do you think we'll ever find Ben?" Sorrel asked him almost out of the blue as she hopped up on to his back.

"... Ben will find us, he always does." Firedrake tried to speak calmly to Sorrel, but he was starting to have his doubts. It's been so long, he didn't have a clue where they were or where Ben was right now and it was bothering him.

 _'Ben only has one arm. He needs me. He only has one arm-_ **one arm!** _'_ Firedrakes mind told him as his guilt was still weighing heavy on him like a blanket of thick snow. Ben needed him now more than ever, Ben needed his protection and Firedrake wasn't there...

"Oh, please don't start moping! I just got you out of your last spell..." He heard Sorrel before feeling her furry paw rub behind his ears.

"I had another dream about him-" Firedrake heard Sorrel irritably sigh at that information and yet he still continued on. "-He... kept telling me which way to go, but each way was different. First, he told me to go straight- then right- then left... then he sort of quieted down."

"Did you see him this time?"

"No... I only heard him."

"What happened next?"

"He said... he's with his mother? I think..."

"Firedrake..." He heard the concern and Firedrake knew just why she was concerned because every time he thought about it sent a scared chill down his scales and spine. Before he could answer her concern she spoke: "Ben told us his mother is dead."

"I know, Sorrel... I know...Sorrel?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm worried. That we won't make it in time... that we-... we won't ever see Ben alive again." Firedrake felt the melancholy tug at him and sadness overtaking his mind.

"Ben's a tough human. Like you said... he'll find us." Sorrel started to pet the space between Firedrake's eyes down his snout. "With Ivan with him? Oh, yeah. You know that a... what do humans call it again? A 'Power couple'?"

Firedrake snorted a little chuckle. "I think Ivan called it a 'Dynamic Duo'.'

"... A what?"

"I don't know. Humans are odd."

Sorrel rested more relaxed against Firedrake's head. She then started to hum a soft song. While she hummed Firedrake started to feel his eyes droop. "Sorrel?" FIredrake yawned loudly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think... Issiah is okay?"

"Heh, why do you care? I've never met a ruder more disrespectful dragon!"

"I know, Sorrel. I can still feel bad for his poor choices... I just don't understand why he let Belle use him like that. I've never seen him-" Firedrake's eyes narrowed as his ears went back. "-All she had to do was smile cutely and bat her eyelashes at him. It's... odd."

"Maybe he saw something in her. Something we didn't. He felt some weird protection like-"

"Like with Ivan-" Firedrake shook his head from side to side. "-... Was that it? He didn't see Belle... He saw Ivan-"

"-He didn't want to be alone again..." It was like they both thought the same thing at the same time as Firedrake looked back at her. "No! Firedrake! No, we left him to his fate! We can't go back!"

"We have to do something! Because right now we are stuck flying in circles! Neither of us know where we are... but we can go back... you know that."

"Firedrake..."

"Sorrel, we have to snap him out of this odd daze of his... please."

"Firedrake- he called Ben 'useless' and said Ben 'deserved' what happened to his arm!"

"That doesn't mean he deserves death. My head is clear now, we should help him."

"... There's no talking you out this, is there?"

"... no."

Sorrel lout a groan, then a sigh, before sitting up fully on Firedrakes back now. "Fine! Fine! … I can't believe we're doing this."


	17. Chapter 17

As night was starting to fall over them and Ben was struggling to be able to keep his eyes open during the car ride; Ben rubbed his eyes tiredly before speaking. "Where are we?" Ben wasn't able to keep the sleepiness out of his voice he borderline couldn't keep his eyes open. Atticus, who was the driver, answered him.

"Forty-five minutes away from Kokomo, Indiana."

Ben rubbed his eyes again before placing his head on Ivan's shoulder. Ivan's mom had her head against the window already lightly snoring away. It seemed like she could sleep through a train wreck, she had several of her black curls in her mouth, and the rest of her hair all bushed up and all over the place, now Ben knew where Ivan got it from as Ivan was snoring loudly next to him looking the act same as his mother.

Twigleg and Rosa were also fast asleep on Ben's right leg. More or less forcing Ben to keep his leg as still as possible so not to wake the two. Ben only smiled as he watched the two slumber away. They were close to each other, but not so awkwardly close. Ben was happy that Twigleg was no longer the last his kind. The two of them seemed to bond and now almost be inseparable.

"Do you know how much longer to Detroit?" Ben asked Atticus softly, hopefully, to keep himself awake.

"According to the GPS another four- probably five hours." Zenith was the one to answer this time around. There was a moment of silence, Ben felt eyes on him and looked up to the rereview mirror to see Atticus staring at him quizzically.

"I thought vampires didn't have a reflection?" Ben half-joked once Atticus realized he was caught staring and tried to look away.

"This mirror clearly doesn't have a silver backing it if that's the case. You know this, Ben." He heard Atticus give him a pity chuckle. "Ben, why don't you go to sleep?" Atticus finally asked him.

"No.. I'm fine."

"Ben, you aren't a vampire. You can sleep you know."

"I..." Ben did his best to shift in his seat- little hard with him being in the middle- "I'm just afraid something bad might happen if I do. With my luck..." Atticus only shook his head at this but stays quiet.

Ben watched as Zenith suddenly elbowed Atticus gaining his attention. At this point, Ben was starting to lose his fight against staying awake. So, he wasn't paying attention to what was being said. Ben didn't know what happened next, but he was awoken by someone shaking him awake. "Up and at 'em." Ben heard a female voice whisper to him. Ben yawned before sleepily opening his eyes. Ben looked to his side to see Mrs. Newlands- her hair now a bushy mess, different from her normal pristine curly locks. 'Where are we?" Feeling a scratch in his throat Ben gave a small cough before yawning once again.

"Motel. A cheap one, but it's a warm place to sleep for the night." Atticus's muffled voice spoke from the outside of the car. Ben wiggled out of the car at that news. Ivan was already outside and stretching his arms above his head. Twigleg and Rosa on both of his shoulders, Ben instantly started looking for Lola, Henry, and Henrick. Zenith suddenly nudged Ben gaining his attention. Without saying anything Zenith simply pointed to his pockets.

"We figured they wouldn't like it if we bring rats inside," Zenith explained.

"Judging by the look of this place?... They already got 'em." Ivan now had his arms crossed as he looked at the motel before them. Ben walked on over next to Ivan to look at the motel. Yeah, it was nothing special.

It was just a two-story motel connected by two flights of stairs on each side. There was a pool off on the side, not a big one but it stood out against the darkness of the night as it was practically illuminated by all sorts of lights and had a gate surrounding it.

"Why?" Ben asked Atticus.

"We need to rest. We can't rescue a dragon half- asleep and unable to focus. I don't think anybody is looking for us at the moment and I doubt they'll find us here at this rat hole. Besides... I think a bed would be better for you than a rocky car ride." Atticus suddenly wrapped an arm around Ben and pulled him in for a half-hug. "You and Ivan both look exhausted and need a good night's sleep," Atticus told Ben before letting go of him.

"Alright you two, into my pockets," Ivan told Twigleg and Rosa; he then helped them carefully hide.

Together they all walked into the Motel check-in. There was a man, overweight, smelly, and wearing a dirty white wife beater and blue jeans. This man's face looked like a squashed tomato as it was bright red in color. Almost reminded Ben of Vernon Dursley in _Harry Potter._ The man snorted at them. "Well, what have we here?" The man questioned as all five of them came waltzing on in. However; Ben was quick to note how this man really had his beady little eyes on Mrs. Newlands. The man wasn't subtle about his comment now. Everyone was now quick to notice this. Atticus reacted first by firmly planting his elbow down on the check-in desk and leaning down so he was now the center of this guy's attention.

"What is you American's say? Howdy?" Atticus gave the man a cheeky little smile.

"It just sounds wrong coming out of your mouth." The man responded back with a chuckle.

"Well, did you know that the word 'Howdy' is a shorter version of the old greeting 'how do ye?'?"

"We're here to check in, not give the man a historic literature version lesson." Zenith butted in as he calmly reminded Atticus of their current mission. Atticus tsked his tongue repeatedly against the roof of his mouth before standing up straighter.

"Right." Atticus popped the collar of his jacket. "We need two rooms."

"Two? That'll be two hundred a night."

"Damn-" Atticus tsked again.

Ben felt Mrs. Newlands push beside him and walk forward towards the desk. Ben looked to Ivan- who shrugged. Atticus went for his wallet, but before he could put the money on the desk. Mrs. Newlands sat her little but down on the desk in a very flirty manner. She then flipped some of her hair behind her back before giving the guy the classic 'over the shoulder' look. "You know... we're here to see the dragon. You've heard about that? I take it?"

"What is she doing?" Ben whispered urgently to Ivan as his heart started to beat faster at her sudden. Ben couldn't stop himself from panicking at Mrs. Newlands sudden stupidity. Ben socked Ivan in the arm.

"Ow, I don't know, I'm not her." Ivan hissed to Ben.

"Uh... Yeah, it's all over-"

Mrs. Newlands suddenly did something else that made Atticus actually back up- she laid down across the desk. "Dude. What the-" Atticus started to ask but was cut off by Mrs. Newlands. She raised her arms above her head and let out a tired groan.

"I'm so tired-tan soñoliento- we're all so sleepy. We've been on the road for _so_ long!" She stretched out again.

"Uh-" The clerk paused as he eyed Mrs. Newlands up and down. Ben could only think 'who wouldn't?' she was clearly an attractive woman. Like Ivan said before, his father only has the best of the best.

"You don't think you could just... lend us the keys? We'll be gone before anybody realizes." She cooed almost sadly. "We won't make a mess- I promise. We just really, _really_ need a place to rest for a few hours."

"Uh..."

"I am... _so_ uncomfortable right now..." Ivan's jaw was practically at the ground as he watched his mom.

The clerk let out a shaky and nervous breath before looking at all of them before chuckling again and swallowing hard. "I can't just give out free rooms-" Mrs. Newlands, who now had one arm draped over her head and was now fully stretched out across this desk, just batted her eyelashes at the man.

"... fine- fine. Don't make a mess, please." The man took two keys off the key rack and tossed one to Atticus- who was currently too baffled to catch it as the key clattered down by his feet- and then handed one to Mrs. Newlands.

"Of course, Guapo." She winked, sat up, and jumped off of the desk. "Thank you." With a confident strut, Mrs. Newlands walked between the whole group before looking at everyone, who were all basically floored by her actions. "Well? Let's go to bed." She snapped her fingers behind her before strutting outside. This seemed to do the trick. Ben watched as Atticus's expression turned a little sour and mentally he braced himself for the fight that might explode. Atticus snorted through his nose before snatching the key off of the ground and storming outside.

"Oh boy..." Zenith made a face before following Atticus outside. Ben and Ivan were both right behind him. Ben watched ahead as Mrs. Newlands was already making her way towards the rooms. Atticus quickly crossed the space between him and Mrs. Newlands.

"What the hell was that?! You almost revealed everything to that man!" Atticus snarled at her.

"Hey, I got us free- gratis- rooms!" flipped her hair behind her shoulders. "I'm not gonna lie, I've never used my looks to _this_ extent before, but I've gotten countless drinks-" Atticus sped up his pace, got in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders completely stopping her and everyone. Ben watched as Ivan tensed up greatly.

"Is this a _joke_ to you, Newlands?" Atticus's voice turned abrasive and bitter in a matter of seconds. Ben quickly put his hand on Ivan's shoulder when he saw his friend ready to cut in.

"Atticus-" Zenith actually tried to step in but Atticus cut him off.

"No! She needs to know this! This isn't some game. You absolutely _have_ to be careful when doing shit like we are! One slip up and _that's it_ we're dead _._ Are you understanding me!?"

"Oh, please! Like that man is working for anyone aside from this ratty motel-"

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what Ben thought about the police that ambushed him at his dad's loft. Turns out they were working for your husband!" Atticus snapped at her. "..." Atticus started to breathe heavily, he then took a couple of steps away from Mrs. Newlands and started to run his fingers through his hair. He then turned his back to her, not in a childish fashion, but just in general- _'probably wants to look at anything other than her.'_ Ben thought as he watched Atticus shake his head. "I've lost too many friends due to stupidity..."

"Look... I didn't think it was a big deal. I just figured with everything that has happened maybe a couple of free rooms would lighten the mood a little..." Mrs. Newlands now longer sounded too confident as she quieted down and rubbed her arm awkwardly.

"Look-" Ben finally found his nerve and spoke up. "-We're all tired. It's late... Let's just go to bed. Okay? We discuss more tomorrow when we're well rested. Okay?" And... that seemed to do it. Everyone nodded.

"I guess..." Atticus sighed out a little. And that was that. That was the last thing anyone said to each other as they retreated to their rooms. Atticus and Zenith shared a room (with the rats it seemed) and The rest of them all went into the next room.

Ivan set Twigleg and Rosa down on the small couch, "Try to not fall between the cushions, you two." Ivan tiredly warned them. The thing was they were already asleep before Ivan even got his first word out.

Thankfully, the motel had two beds so, Mrs. Newlands could have her own bed. Ben wasn't shy about sharing a bed with Ivan. Still, before he got to bed, Ben sat down at the dining table and just stared at the wood for several long seconds. His mind was so tired. Oh, so tired. So tired in fact that he started dosing off right then and there. "Alright, c'mon. Bed." Ivan pulled on Ben's good arm.

"M'kay." Ben sleepily agreed. He got up from his seat walked over to the bed and simply fell face down on top of the covers. Shoes still on and his face buried in the pillow.

Ben was out within a matter of seconds.

* * *

Ivan tsked bitterly at Ben laying on the bed. "That's not-" He tried to refute- he stopped when he realized that Ben was already asleep. Ivan sighed out loudly and carefully sat at the edge of the bed so he was next to Ben now.

"He's already asleep?" His mom asked a little alarmed at this.

Ivan was already in the process of getting Ben's shoes when he answered. "It's been a rough couple of days- scratch that- It's been a rough _year_ for him. Him losing his arm, the countless hours of physical, and mental therapy, his PTSD- that he _refuses_ to acknowledge- and now all of this?" Wiggling the first shoe off of Ben's foot, Ivan started to work on the second one. "You wanna know something else that he doesn't think I know?" Ivan asked his mom with a bit of a chuckle. "He absolutely hates these shoes- well... maybe not hate... he resents them. I see it every time he tries to put on his favorite tennis shoes-" Ivan got the other shoe free and placed it next to its twin. "-He can't tie them. He tried tucking the laces in the shoe a couple of times, but his shoes are too loose and will kick off by accident. So, he's stuck with these- slip-on's..."

"... You know a lot about him, Mi Hijo." She laid down on her own bed already slipping the covers.

"Yeah, he thinks I don't though. He thinks I know practically none of the pain he's currently going through... trust me, mom. I think you'll heart would break when you see someone you love staring blankly at their favorite pair of shoes and they can't wear them anymore because... it's your fault they can't wear them in the first place."

"Mi Hijo, what happened to his arm?"

Ivan stood up from the bed and- carefully so not to wake Ben- slipped the cover out from under Ben's sleeping form. "That's... not exactly my place to tell you, mom. Yes, I was there, and yes it was almost me, but still... Ben got the bulk of it... and paid for my carelessness... although I don't agree with how Atticus snapped at you earlier... he has a good point. Careless actions like that can and will lead to some serious consequences. Just... be careful in the future? Please, mom?"

"Of course, Mi Hijo."

Ivan finally threw the covers on top of Ben once they were out from under him. Once Ben was tucked in safely, he moved on to untying his own shoes to take them off. "God, what a... week. It'll be nice to sleep in a bed." Ivan placed his shoes next to Ben's before happily getting up and going under the blanket on the other side. Ivan wiggled a little to get comfier under the covers. That was when his mother suddenly pipped up like she had a thought.

"Mi Hijo? Did you know there were lots of ways of telling someone you love them without actually saying it?"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, like your father would do it all the time. He asked if I had eaten, would sometimes tuck me into bed after a long day... he would often rub my shoulders, make me feel wanted... he loved me and I loved him..." Ivan heard his mother sigh. It practically broke his heart- it really broke his heart when he heard his mom's soft: "I really miss him... I just can't believe he let his work consume him like that."

Ivan laid there on his side still for a few moments. _'She can never know.'_ Ivan concluded before he simply reached for the lamp; finding himself unable to say anything comforting his mother at this point, Ivan just said the first thing that came to his mind as he clicked the light off. "Goodnight."

* * *

 _When Ivan waltzed into Ben's room, wanting to ask Ben a question on fairies he didn't exactly know how to react when he saw Ben sitting on his bed, eyes glossed over with tears, as he looked down at the pair of his favorite sneakers. Ben didn't even look up at Ivan, he just continued to star miserably at his shoes. "Ben-"_

 _"-I can't tie them." Ben's voice squeaked as it was clear that he was trying to hold back his tears. "I've been trying for the past hour! and I just can't tie them!" Ben brought his hand up to his eyes let out a little shaky sob. Ivan felt his heartstrings being tugged at the sudden voice crack at the end of Ben's sentence._

 _"Well, I could tie them for you-"_

 _"That's not the point. I can't have people tie my shoes for me... I..." Ben paused and swiftly wiped some falling tears away from his eyes. "I just didn't expect it to be this tough!"_

 _Ivan sat down next to Ben and went to wrap his arms around him in a hug- he paused just inches away from touching Ben. He hesitated and Ivan didn't know why. Ben suddenly went forward and rested his head on Ivan's shoulder breaking the tension and hesitation Ivan had just seconds ago and with a small smile on his face, he pressed his hand against Ben's shoulder in a hug. "I know it's hard. You're gonna hit rock bottom before you get better you know." Ivan whispered softly to Ben as he wrapped both arms around Ben._

 _"It just feels like I've been at rock bottom for over a year now." Ben's muffled voice responded as he proceeded to sniffle softly._

 _"Alright, Jackson, don't go getting your snot on my shirt, please." Ivan joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. Ben pulled himself off of Ivan, and Ivan let go of Ben, Ben gave Ivan a tiny smile. "There you go." He then proceeded to pinch Ben's chin earning a bigger smile. "There's that smile." Ivan smiled back. Ivan then looked forward at Ben's wall. There were a few seconds of silence that almost made the hairs on Ivan's neck stand up. Not because it was oddly quiet... but because the seconds felt longer than seconds... it felt like the silence was lasting minutes. 'Something's not right.' Ivan concluded._

 _"Ivan?"_

 _"Yeah-" Ivan just barely turned his head when suddenly Ben through his arm around Ivan's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. It happened so suddenly that at first, Ivan didn't know what to do. The kiss hardly lasted a second before Ben pulled away._

 _"I think you've fancied me for a good while now and I think you need to tell me this before it becomes too late."_

 _"What? Ben-"_

* * *

-Ivan practically jumped out of bed when he heard the door to their room suddenly shut. He was ready for a fight- but once he calmed down he realized that there was no fight or anybody at the door. Someone had left, not entered. It didn't exactly take a genius to see who as where Ben had slept beside him was now empty. "Ah, fuck me..." Ivan groaned tiredly. He rubbed his eyes harshly to get any leftover sleep out of them. Ivan tossed a look to the alarm clock. It was only just becoming five am. ' _Two hours.'_ Ivan thought tiredly before rubbing his eyes once again. _'Oh, Ben.'_ Ivan got up quietly. Ivan went looking for his shoes. His dream was still fresh in his mind.

"You need to tell me before it's too late..." Ivan muttered in a whisper. He got his left shoe on first. Ivan felt his brow knit up. "Too late? I mean do I even fancy him?" Ivan got his right shoe on and turned towards the door. He simply tiptoed to the door, pocketed his key, and open the door. Silently shutting it, Ivan scanned the area for Ben. Seeing how they were on the second floor, Ivan walked over to the railing and leaned against it to look out on the bottom.

 _'Tell me before it's too late.'_ Ivan frowned as Ben's voice continued to ring in his head. This distracted Ivan as he continued to harp and think about his dream. Ben kissed him in his dream... in Ivan's dream, Ben kissed him. _'Do I fancy Ben? Do I?...I mean...'_ Ivan couldn't help but give a little smile when he started to think. ' _He is kind of cute, he's always been cute. I love the way when he gets excited or happy that his eyes get a little spark behind them. His smile, god, he must have the best smile I've ever seen in an another human...'_ Ivan sighed a little happily; resting his arms on the railing. _'Okay, okay, Ben's cute. Could I see myself being with Ben? I've never... I've never been with another guy. I've only ever had girlfriends-'_

Ivan's thoughts stopped when he heard a distinct ' _splash_ ' off in the distance; Ivan looked over to the pool and realized that he was so lost in his own thoughts that he failed to see that Ben was now in the pool. "Oh god." Ivan stood up straighter. "He's gone mental!" Ivan rushed towards the stairs and swiftly ran down the steps- jumping the last two. Ivan then booked it towards the pool. The pool wasn't far; just across the parking lot, So, Ivan made it there in less than thirty seconds. "What are you doing?" Ivan- thinking the waist-high gate was open, ran full speed into the metal gate almost tipping himself over. All Ivan really had to do was step over it to get to the other side.

Ben was in the middle of the pool where he could still touch, thankfully. He stood there on his toes wading lazily in the water. Ben had a small little smile on his face as he was neck deep in water.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ben actually giggled at Ivan. "I'm-" Ben paused as he let his legs up and nearly slipped under. "-Swimming." he placed his feet back down on the ground. Ivan now realized that Ben was shirtless- he had his pants on though.

"You twat! You could drown! Did we not just yell at my mom for doing stupid shit?" Reprimanded Ivan almost instantly at Ben's sudden burst of stupidity.

"C'mon, Ivan... I just... I don't know. I wanted to be in the water. Does that make sense?"

Ivan crossed his arms and looked down at Ben in the water. "Uh-huh. If you're crazy. Ben, I think your nerves are going a little haywire. Come back to bed- Here." Ivan leaned down and offered his hand to Ben. Ben sucked on his teeth in aggravation before carefully swimming/wading up to the edge. Ben brought his hand out, grabbed Ivan's hand, and with no effort at all proceeded to pull Ivan into the water with him. All Ivan felt was shock and confusion as he swam up to the surface as fast as possible. Ivan came up and gave his head a good shake. "Seriously?" Ivan huffed with mild annoyance. He moved his hair back so it stay out of his face and he could watch Ben a little more closely.

Ben was leaning against the pool wall and giving Ivan a very smug look. One that Ivan would take almost as a challenge. "What are you going to do about it?" Ben shrugged at Ivan. So, Ivan did the most mature thing- and splashed Ben. Ben sniggered childishly at Ivan's retaliation. Ivan then proceeded to swim up so he was closer to Ben. They were about a good foot apart at most. _'Tell him before it's too late...'_ Ben leaned his arm against the edge of the pool so his head was propped up. He still looked so tired.

"Why did you come out here, for real now." Ivan inquired once he saw that Ben honestly wasn't looking well. Ben's eyes flicked to him before going back down to the water. Ben then he just shrugged.

"I saw the pool and decided I wanted to get in it. That's all."

"Ben, that's incredibly stupid. you could have drowned and no one would have known." Those words left Ivan's mouth before he had any control of it.

"I'm not a goddamn tot!" Ben hissed. "I know what I'm doing, okay. Don't you patronize me! You guys act like I'm a child because I only have one arm and I hate it!... I... just wish things could be normal again."

"I know, Okay. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to come off that way. It's not that we see you as a tot or child-" Ivan suddenly grabbed Ben's good hand and held it tightly. "We're worried about you. Ben, we're worried that something will happen to you and we can't help you. You can't jump back into things."

"I'm not! I've been patient! I mean I waited a year before having enough and quitting my job-"

"Quitting? You told me you were fired."

Ben quickly started to stammer as it seemed he was racking his mind for some sort of excuse or lie- but he gave up on that idea pretty quickly and slumped his shoulders. "I lied... I quit. I hated it there- you want to talk about patronizing people."

"Why lie?" Ivan was pretty aware that he still had his hand attached to Ben's but he didn't care about that right now as he actually started to lazily drag his thumb along Ben's hand.

"You went through _prison_! And I can't go through a stupid McDonald's job? I didn't want you to... See as someone who couldn't take the pressure... as weak..."

"Ben-" Ivan then pulled Ben into a tight hug. Ivan had one of his hands firmly pressed against the small of Ben's back while the other hand was up against Ben's right shoulder. He felt Ben rest his head on his left shoulder and a sense of Deja vu hit Ivan hard. "-You're literally the strongest person I know. You lost your _arm_ and you've been determined to get back up on your feet and do everything you can to overcome it. You are not weak no matter what you do." Ivan then pulled back so they were now face to face. "Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Do you hear me? You are _strong."_

 _'Tell him before it's too late.'_

"Ivan..." Ben leaned in and pressed his head against Ivan's shoulder again. Ivan rested his head on top of Ben's before shutting his eyes.

 _'Tell him.'_

"And..." Ivan paused suddenly as his heart rate quickened. "I-" Ivan stopped again this time to take in a deep breath. There would be no going back... "I love you." It came out as a little squeak in the end, but he said it.

"W-What?" Ben moved his head off of Ivan's shoulder causing Ivan to move back just a little. Ivan couldn't tell if he had messed up or not. Scratching the back of his head a little awkward and nervously. Ivan swallowed a lump in his throat. "You mean like a brother?"

"Maybe this will answer your question-" Ivan pulled Ben in and gently kissed him on the lips. It was just a gentle little kiss. Ben tensed and Ivan worried that he had overstepped, so he pulled back. "-I'm sorry-"

"-Took you long enough, Newlands." Ben was (surprisingly) a lot rougher with his kiss as he pulled Ivan down by his collar and wasn't shy about it either. The world seemed to spin for Ivan. This was real. This wasn't a dream, no. He was here really kissing Ben. It didn't go full tongue, but they did let the kiss linger on for a good while. Ben twisted his head to the side and Ivan followed appropriately- however, their little make-out session didn't exactly get to last long-

"Aw-" Both twisted in the water to look at Zenith who was leaning back against the railing with his arms crossed and one foot in front of the other. This man had enough time to walk up to them, hop the fence, and stand there watching them. Kind of creepy. "You two look really cute together- you know that?"


	18. Chapter 18

"You two are either brave or stupid." Zenith gave a breathy chuckle and grinned at the two of them showing his sharp fangs. He then tilted his head cutely at Ben and Ivan. Ben gave a bitter snort out of his nose and suddenly slinked down low into the water so his nose and mouth were under the water but he was still shooting daggers at Zenith for interrupting them. "I mean... you two just decide now- _now_ _?_ to confess your love for another while we are currently being hunted down and then you two also think its a good idea to start making out... in the open!-" Zenith extended his arms out as he actually started to laugh at the two of them. "-It's madness!"

Ivan looked down at Ben and realized quickly the reason Ben was currently making an attempt to both drown himself and glare at Zenith was because he was blushing a serious shade of red. Ivan could feel himself actually start to blush as well. "Look, man... we might not have a lot of time... okay?" Ivan tried to explain to Zenith. Zenith let out a sigh and walked over to the edge of the pool before sitting down crossed legged in front of them. He then brought his hand out in front of them. Ben looked at Ivan, who looked at Zenith. Ivan wadded forward and gently grabbed Zenith's cold hand.

"If you pull me in, I won't hesitate to bite you," Zenith warned playfully with a little chuckle before suddenly extending his other hand out for Ben to take. Ben seemed to hesitate a little before he stood up straighter (and no longer trying to drown himself) he then slowly brought his hand up to Zenith's but paused only inches away from Zenith's fingers before Ben finally reached and grabbed it. Zenith sucked in a deep breath and looked at the two of them. "I'm glad you two figured it out." Zenith caressed their hands with his thumbs. There was a sensible moment between the three of them before Zenith finally let go of them.

"Zen? Why exactly were you just watching us?" Ivan questioned.

"Well, you two weren't exactly being quiet out here. Atticus sent me to see what was going on- and I come out to find you two making-out. Not exactly what I was expecting, but better than finding you two at each other's throats... well if I would have come out later- who knows."

"Oh, haha." Ben deadpanned. He then decided to just float on his back and Ivan could only give Ben a passing glance before looking back at Zenith.

"Now let me ask you this? Why are you two in the pool?"

"I wanted to swim!" Ben called out from behind Ivan, making Ivan chuckle in response before shrugging at Zenith.

"He wanted to swim."

Zenith just gave a bit of a chuckle at the two of them before he finally stood up. Zenith started wiping off the back of legs when Ivan felt the water move telling him that Ben was no longer floating on his back. Ivan felt Ben's arm creep up his back and rest at the base of Ivan's neck. Ben now stood to Ivan's right, he had a tired look in his eye before letting out a sigh. "I think... we should go back now."

"Yes, that would be great." Zenith agreed and was now trying to rush the two of them out of the water. "Go back to the room, get some sleep, take a shower, together if you two want- I don't care, eat, just stay in the room."

The two of them both shot Zenith a 'seriously' look at his shower comment, but also agreed that it was best if they got out of the pool. So, that's what they did. Ivan hopped out first and then helped Ben out. With Zenith leading them back, Ivan and Ben hung back a little as their- now- heavy clothes made it a little harder for them to keep up with Zenith in the first place. "Ivan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Feeling Ben's hand slip into his Ivan felt a small smile start to form on his lips before he gave Ben's hand a little squeeze in return. Still, Ivan couldn't relax just yet. No...

"Don't thank me yet, we still have a dragon to save, Babe."

* * *

Belle hummed boredly. She was still in her room, laying down facedown on her carpet with her feet up in the air. Her mom left to talk to the hunters, that's been almost two hours now and Belle was so bored! She didn't have a phone, TV, Computer, nothing to keep her entertained right now. So, right now she was just combing the tiny shards of glass out of her carpet, only now she was bored of that. No, She needed something to do. Now. Belle let out a loud groan and then proceeded to pull herself up from the carpet and up to her feet. _'Mama mentioned something about needing the hunters to find someone, but Jesus its taking so long!'_

Silently going up to her door, Belle slipped out of her room. The whole place was quiet as several people walked on by, not really paying her too much attention. Belle could only grimace at the cold from the metal beneath her bare feet. _'Issiah has gone quiet.'_ Belle thought a little sadly as she looked down towards the first flight of steps. Issiah was being held down those steps, and she hasn't been allowed near him since the day she brought him in.

"-Is it normal for the child to just die like that?"

Belle twisted her head around at the stranger's voice. It was a woman that spoke, but Belle paid little attention to her. No, it was the second woman next to the first that made a sickly chill run up Belle's spine. Belle felt herself freeze in place as she looked at this woman. Belle didn't know this woman's name, she only knew her as 'The vampire' because that's what this woman was. She was a full-blooded vampire, and she scared Belle senseless. This woman... This woman also changed Belle's mama, not in the way that James made her Mama crazy, but in a way that... made her Mama violent.

This woman, The Vampire, is one to be feared for sure. She was tall, given she was wearing high heels. Her eyes were so unnatural- their deep red color and cat-like pupils. It made Belle shudder just thinking about it. The Vampire had pure white curly hair, but Belle knew it wouldn't last, she would often change her hair color on a whim. Today it seemed she had her glasses on- thick-rimmed rectangle glasses- but she doesn't always. It made Belle wonder if she had contacts in on occasion.

"Oh, yes. This is quite normal with Half-breeds," The vampire spoke. Her voice had a slight British accent to it. "-They die, and then they come back undead."

"I'm uncomfortable with this..." The two of them walked away. Never once noticing Belle standing there. Belle looked over towards the hallway where they had come from. Belle felt curious. Poking her head down the hallway were three doors, all doors with a small window to see inside. Belle threw her hands behind her back an started to innocently peek inside.

The first thing to greet her was another girl. This girl down on her knees up against the wall with her hands chained. She was screaming something, but Belle couldn't hear. This girl had curly red hair that was frizzled out. The girl noticed Belle and stopped her yelling. The two of them looked at each other for just a passing moment. The girl was crying Belle could see, Belle could also see red eyes. Belle could see tears falling down the girl's face. She started to mouth words to Belle. _'Help me.'_ Belle thought with a sad nod, that's for sure what the girl was asking. Belle cautiously backed away from the door feeling uncomfortable now. Belle decided to move on to the next door.

This room was almost the same as the last, only this person seemed just a little younger than the girl. He too was chained to the wall, he wasn't talking or as frantic as the girl. In fact, he didn't even look up at Belle, he just kept his head down. All Belle could see was curly brown hair and pale skin. She could only assume he was also a vampire judging by the way he was chained. So, she moved on to the last door-

and was met with nothing. Nobody was chained up and there was no one in the room. Belle tilted her head for a moment. _'I guess there's only tw-'_

All Belle saw was just a flash before a little girl, no older than nine, was at the window. She was screaming loudly- so loud in fact that Belle could actually hear this poor girl screaming. Belle quickly backed away in freight, clutching her chest, and feeling her heart skip a beat this girl's feral nature. The girl started to bang her fists on the window still screaming her head off- that's when Belle backed up again this time backing up into someone.

It was The vampire. "A little rabbit seems to have stumbled into the wolves den? Hm?" The vampire gave Belle a small hum and a cynical little smile making her heart race. Belle felt her skin flush and her eyes go wide as The vampire suddenly clamped her cold hands down on Belle's shoulders rightly. "Oh, don't look at me like that-" Belle felt herself being spun around so she was facing the little girl's door. "-This is a magical moment for this little girl she's turned into a vampire, and right now she's starved. She wants food-" The vampire started to push Belle forward and instantly Belle started to dig her heels into the ground. "The only way for a vampire in this state to calm down is to eat, and you know what a vampire eats right?"

"S-Stop!"

"Blood."

"Stop it!" Belle tried to twist out of her grip, but she was too strong for Belle's feeble attempt to flee. Belle felt her heartbeat quicken as she ushered closer and closer to the door. The little girl's screams could be heard again. Belle truly thought she was going to thrown to this savage little girl-

"Sabrina, leave my daughter alone before you give her a heart attack." It was like the voice of an angel, her mother. The Vampire- this 'Sabrina'-suddenly let go of Belle's shoulders and instantly Belle ran to her mother hugging her tightly. Belle felt her mother lightly pat her head in an attempt to comfort her. Suddenly Belle's mother placed her hand on Belle's forehead and pushed her head back so Belle was looking at her. "Now you know why I demand you stay into your room until I say so. There are a lot of dangerous creatures in this building and I wouldn't want my little rose getting hurt." Belle frowned but nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, Mama..."

"Now, off to your room."

"Yes, Mama."

* * *

Atticus let out a soft sigh as he looked at the rising sun from the window of the motel room; hearing a happy squeak coming from behind him, Atticus tossed his head over his shoulder to see Lola, and Henry both playing little Henrick. Atticus felt a bitter frown tug on his lips before he fell back on to the bed. Atticus tried to stop the guilt from eating him alive, but it was becoming impossible. Atticus swore to protect those children- _his_ children!... and now they're gone. Atticus started to gnaw at the bottom of his lip as tears were starting to well up in his eyes. _'Don't you dare! You cannot afford to break down now!'_ Atticus scolded himself, but it was too late. The first few tears spilled from his eyes and the dam broke after that.

The door opened and in came Zenith.

"You won't believe-..." Zenith went quiet when he saw Atticus laying there tears falling from his eyes. Instantly Zenith went quiet and sat down on the bed. Without a word, he started to stroke Atticus's hair. "We'll find them. Don't worry so much."

"I-I've done the math. Sofi turned already. She had to. If she drinks human blood... there may be no going back for her."

Zenith tsked his tongue before shifting himself and Atticus so Atticus's head was now in his lap. "I know that. You know that, but consider that an extra drive or push to find her-"

"-How. With us going after Issiah now... will we ever see them again?"

"I found them once didn't I?"

"That's different-"

"How so? The witch didn't tell me to find them. I found them my own damn self. We will find them again."

Atticus let out a sigh and looked over to the family of rats. "Hey, rats... if one of your own went missing... how would you get them back?" Atticus questioned them.

Lola and Henry both paused for a moment. "Well, rats often have expansive families all over the globe. So, what we do is we ask around, and when word gets around eventually we find just who we're looking for and where they possibly could be." Lola explained, she quickly started cleaning her whiskers before moving on. "Don't you vampires have that? Like an expansive underground family?"

Atticus scoffed rather loudly turning his head to look at her. "Lola, Consider half-bloods the rats of the vampire world. Full bloods hate us. If we were to go looking for a full blooded vampire to ask for help... they wouldn't help. We're beneath them." Atticus sighed. Zenith continued to stroke Atticus's hair lovingly even taking the hair tie out of his hair in the process.

"After this Issiah thing is done and over with, we'll find them. I promise, but you need to hold it together as best as you can." Zenith tried to comfort him.

"I'm trying here. Trust me, but... I just don't want to be too late." Atticus looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds before up and deciding he desperately needed a subject change. So, reaching up and grabbing Zenith's hand Atticus changed the subject. "What of Ben and Ivan? What were they yelling about? Are they alright."

Zenith let out a sudden laugh. "Oh, trust me. They're fine. Wet. but perfectly fine."

"Wet?"

"Ben wanted to go swimming." Zenith shrugged.

This caused a groan to leave Atticus's mouth as he slowly sat up and dragged his hand down the back of his neck. "Sounds like Ben's nerves must be getting him. Okay, I'll have a talk with him. Get him to calm down-" Before Atticus could even move Zenith put his other hand on Atticus's chest stopping him almost instantly.

"Don't worry about it-"

"-And why not? The last thing we need is for Ben to have a nervous breakdown." Lola felt the need to pipe up.

"Lola, this isn't our conversation," Henry told her quickly.

"This is about my friend. Maybe I shouldn't have butted in, but I repeat my last statement." Lola huffed towards Zenith.

Zenith chuckled again this time at Lola. He then shook his head before finally answering. "Because I have a feeling that Ivan more or less took control of it."

"Nope!" Atticus sat up and quickly stood up. He then smoothed his outfit and hair out before grabbing his hair tie. "Ivan probably made things worse, I'm sure." Placing the hair tie in his mouth Atticus started to put his hair back.

"Atticus-"

"I'm sorry when it comes to emotions Ivan's kind of loss-" Atticus was now to the door.

"They were kissing. When I went to see what the issue was I found them kissing in the pool." And just like that, the whole room came to a standstill. You could hear a pen drop it was so quiet in that motel room. Zenith felt a bit of joy watching all of their confused faces at that moment.

Starting with Lola, the poor rat just seemed so...confused by what Zenith had said. She honestly looked like she was trying to wrap her head around the whole concept, but she eventually she just gave up with a shrug. Of course, little Henrick didn't seem to care too much. Henry also looked indifferent, maybe because he didn't know Ben for as long as Lola did, but the piece of cake was Atticus.

Oh, Atticus looked like a fish out of the water. Wide-eyed, mouth opening and closing frantically as he was trying to say something but couldn't seem to get it out, until finally he just slapped his arms to the side. "Alright then... they're out of the pool right?"

"Yes."

"Okay. That's good. That's... good."

"C'mon, you knew those two had feelings for each other, everyone did-"

"I didn't." Lola huffed.

"Again, not your conversation, love." Henry silenced Lola.

"I digress-" Zenith hushed both of the rats before turning back to Atticus. "Why are you suddenly being weird about this?"

Atticus gave a laugh. "I'm not being weird. A little shocked-yeah, but not weird. Look, the sun is up. We should just get going before we waste any more time-" and without another word, Atticus was out of the room.

 _'I mean I knew they liked one another, of course I knew. Everyone knew... but... why do I still feel shocked?'_ Atticus thought for a moment. His mind now heavy and his chest feeling like someone had socked him with a bag of bricks. Why was he feeling oddly bitter about this? He should be happy- hell, just before Ivan went to prison he gave Ben a hard time about clearly showing emotions for Ivan! But now it just... left an unpleasant taste in the bak of Atticus's throat to think about it. Atticus shook his head before knocking on the door. "We leave in thirty minutes! Get ready!" He barked from outside and then turned his head and walked back to his own room.

* * *

"Well, he sounded pleasant," Twigleg muttered as Rosa and he sat at the tiny coffee table now. Everyone was up, Mrs. Newlands was currently in the shower. Everyone being woken up just A little over an hour ago with Ivan and Ben returning absolutely soaked. Twigleg had already tried questioning them- along with a very unimpressed Mrs. Newlands. The only thing they got in response was Ben laughing with the simple response of 'I wanted to go swimming'. Now the two of them were sitting on the bed with towels over their heads as they did their best to warm up.

"Ivan don't you have clothes in your bag!" Rosa had questioned very loudly. Her speech was getting better with Twigleg teaching her, though she still needed to learn about volume control.

"Uh-..." Ivan paused for a moment and lowered his towel. He then grabbed his bag off the floor by his feet. "- good thinking, Rosa. Here Ben. They might be a little bigger than what you wear but at least they're dry." Ivan pulled out a pair of pants and Ben went to take them only to suddenly pause and went to give them back.

"I can't wear these-"

"I don't mind if you wear my pants dude-"

"I _can't_ wear these. Zippers and buttons." Ben pointed out a little sadly.

Ivan seemed to frown at that as well before waving Ben off. "Nah, if you can swim- you can put on pants with zippers and buttons," Ivan stated plainly. He then stood up and brought his hand out for Ben to take. Ben seemed a little hesitant but eventually grabbed Ivan's hand.

" _why_ exactly did you decide to go swimming?" Twigleg asked Ben with a bitter tsk leaving his mouth.

"I dunno." Ben shrugged- making Twigleg huff.

"Ben, please. Next time you want to do something take me with you." Twigleg almost begged as he clasped his tiny hands together. Ben paused for a moment as he looked at Twigleg before softening his gaze at the little Manikin.

"Of course, I apologize, Twigleg. I just didn't want to wake you or Rosa." Ben gave an awkward chuckle then proceeded to look at Ivan.

"C'mon, I'll help you." Ivan ushered Ben forward before walking forward. Ivan grabbed Ben's hand in a way that he was trying to steady Ben. "Now... take off your pants-"

"Okay Newlands, I know we just got together as of a few hours ago-" Ben laughed softly when Ivan gave him a playful little shove.

There was a sudden noise that made both of them turn and look at Twigleg and Rosa. Twigleg was standing there now eyes wide, jaw dropped, hands out. Ben could feel the judgment and shock coming off of Twigleg. "Got... together? _What_ exactly does that mean?" Twigleg almost demanded. Rosa tilted her head at him before looking back at the duo. Ben felt his cheeks flush a little before he just looked down at their hands.

"Uh... how do I put this gently... we kind of... kissed in the pool earlier this morning," Ben spoke almost like he was talking to a borderline dangerous animal.

"What?! _What?!"_ Twigleg yelled so loud that everyone in the room cringed, even Rosa cringed. She then smiled and pulled on Twigleg's sleeve excitedly.

"I heard you! I heard you!" Rosa pointed to her ears and smiled broadly.

Ivan crossed his arms a little bitterly before smiling just a little. "And so did everyone else in the motel." Ben nudged Ivan in the ribs and tossed him a look.

"Twigleg, It just happened. Okay? Yes, we kissed, but we're not planning on getting married or anything. Think of us as a... proto-couple or something for the time being." Ben than just shrugged. "Because right now we can't exactly afford to be in a relationship."

Twigleg frowned and crossed his arms. "Heh... proto-couple." Twigleg snorted. His frown never lifted- if anything it got almost comically deeper as the moments passed. Ben gave an awkward laugh as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Ben... pants?" Ben looked back to Ivan. Ivan simply lifted his pants in the air. "Don't want you getting sick before we go on a rescue mission."

Ben walked back over to Ivan and they held hands again. Ben did pause for a moment and looked back at the two manikins. It seemed like Rosa was still impressed that she could actually hear Twigleg for the first time and was grinning ear to ear. Twigleg still kept his mildly deep frown on his face. "C-Can you two at least turnaround?" Ben politely asked. Twigleg uncrossed his arms and put his hand on Rosa's shoulder to get her to turn around. Once they were turned Ben looked at Ivan a little nervously before sighing and letting go of Ivan's hand.

"It's fine. I promise I won't peek." Ivan reassured him. Ben frowned but he quickly and quietly stepped out of his pants. True to his word Ivan didn't look. Ben then easily slipped on Ivan's pants but then paused at the button. "Okay, I youtubed this. Something I'm surprised you didn't do earlier... So, what your going to want to do is take your index finger and pull the button closer to the button hole." Ivan instructed. Ben frowned for a moment before doing what Ivan had instructed. "Okay, great, now your going to take your middle finger and stick it through the button hole then you move the two closer together and push the button through with your thumb."

Ben shot Ivan a bit of a nervous look before making an attempt. He failed. The button slipped from his finger. "Okay, try again. Don't be discouraged so easily." Ivan urged. "I know you can do this."

"You can do it!" Rosa suddenly cheered from behind. She must have just been reading Ivan's lips and figured that Ben just needed more encouragement. So, Ben sucked in a deep breath and tried again. Wrapping his finger around the button he pulled it forward and got it close enough to where it could be stuck in and using his thumb behind the button he let go of the button and took his middle finger out of the button hole before pushing the button into the hole with his thumb- and that was it the button fasten into the hole.

"... I did it..." Ben could almost tear up.

"Great! Yes! Now zip! It's not hard once you get the button in. Just grab and pull up."

It honestly did take a minute for Ben to get the zipper to pull up. It would be so much easier if he had two hands! (obviously) but the moment Ben felt the zipper go up it just didn't feel real. He looked down at the, slightly, baggy pants he was wearing they were buttoned and zipped all by him. That was when Ben felt Ivan lightly pinch his chin. "Don't be afraid to ask for help. You might have been able to wear pants sooner if you just would have asked."

Ben heard a bitter huff behind him and turned to look at Twigleg. His cheeks were slightly red and he was glaring down at the table he was standing on. It made Ben feel bad. Ben knew he's been neglectful of Twigleg as of late- hell Ben downright _forgot_ Twigleg at the start of this crazy ride. Ben knew what he had to do. Ben walked over to Twigleg and got down on his knees so the two were now face to face. Ben heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, telling him that Mrs. Newlands was now done with the bathroom. Still, Ben focused back to Twigleg. "I'm sorry." Ben frowned. "I know I should have probably told you right away, you're my best friend, why wouldn't I tell you?" Twigleg looked at Ben.

"It's just-"

"I know. I've been forgetting you as of late and I know... it may seem like I'm choosing Ivan over you... but I'm not... you're still my best friend." Twigleg finally uncrossed his arms and walked forward hugging Ben's face tightly.

"I know you haven't replaced me or chosen Ivan over me... I'm just worried and wish you would _talk to me_ more!" Twigleg let go of Ben. "You never talk to me anymore...if you would have talked to me I could have helped you with the problems you've been having!"

"Twigleg-"

There was a rough banging at the door that for sure made everyone in the room jump. "You lot got three minutes! Or else I'm leaving you behind!" Atticus snarled from the other side of the door. Ben tossed a look towards the electric oven for the time and realized they've been in the room for about forty-five minutes now. Ben could understand why Atticus sounded so upset. "Lets go!" And like that they all quickly rushed out of the room as fast as they could. Ben didn't even bother hiding Twigleg or Rosa and kept them on his shoulders. "Just leave the keys!" Ben heard Ivan fight with his mother off in the distance as he raced down the steps.

Ben was the first to get into the car. "About time..." Ben could hear Atticus roll his eyes. Ben was practically out of breath as he scooted into the middle of the backseat.

"Sorry, we lost track of time."

"Not like there's a dragon's life on the line or anything." Atticus huffed and Ben frowned but didn't argue. Atticus was right, but he didn't have to be kind of a dick about it. Mrs. Newlands was next to come into the car and sat on Ben's left and finally, the Ivan came on in and sat on Ben's right. Twigleg and Rosa scrambled down and sat on Ben's lap, and very quickly so did Lola, Henry, and Henrick. Ben had his lap full of little creatures it seemed.

And then they were off and down the road again, and there was a tension in the air that made the hair on Ben's neck stand up. "Is everything okay?" Mrs. Newlands questioned after a few seconds down the road.

"Everything is fine." Atticus spoke in a faux 'fine' tone.

"Soft rat." Rosa started to pet Henrick first on the head then she started to scratch behind his ears. For a good thirty minutes, it was just that. Nobody spoke while Rosa just continued to pet the rats moving on from Henrick to Lola. Eventually, Atticus moved from the main road to a more country dirt road. The car just rocked every which way.

"Why dirt roads?" Ivan suddenly asked.

"Because we're being hunted." Atticus had a slight tone in his voice that told Ben that he really didn't want to be talked to right now.

"Okay... but-" Ben inwardly groaned when Ivan started to put up a fight. Of course, Ivan couldn't help himself. "Wouldn't it be better if we were on the road with other people? I mean going the backway-"

"We go the backway then it reduces the risk of us being following to start it." Atticus had a snarl on his face and in his and in his voice as well. Ben started to sink a little in his seat as the tension was becoming so tense he could cut it with his knife.

Ben then nudged Ivan in the ribs. "Stop it. He's clearly not in the mood." Ben whispered harshly to Ivan.

"Crowded car, Ben. I can hear every word." Atticus suddenly spoke up, this time Zenith nudged him to be quiet. Back to silence. The whole car just went deathly quiet. _'Something got under Atticus's skin...'_ Ben thought as he looked at his friend. They started to reach an intersection and Ben laid back in his seat. Twigleg was talking to Rosa in sign language, while Lola, Henrick, and Henry both laid on their stomachs curled up in a small little rat pile on Ben's left leg. Ben shut his eyes just for a moment-

Then all that Ben was able to first register was metal on metal, then he was upside down, then his head smashed into something, Ben wasn't sure what, but then Ben blacked out. He knew he wasn't out for too long because when he came too he was still in the car- upside down on the roof because he hadn't worn a seatbelt. Ben felt glass embedded in his palm, arm, face...

"Atticus..." Ben breathed out as he tried to focus on the front seat, but he couldn't move his neck too much as all he felt was the pain. "Ivan?-"

"Well, well... look here. If it isn't the one that got away." Hearing a voice made Ben crane his head up the most he could to look out the nearest window. All he saw were tattoos before he noticed a face peering at him from the window. "I don't think you're getting away this time, pal. Winston's and your tranny friend have been askin' boutcha."


	19. Chapter 19

_"Is there anywhere in the world you'd like to go?"_ _Ivan's question came out of nowhere. The two of them were just lazy around on Ben's bed. It was one of Ben's day off and they had nothing to do, so on the bed they were. Ivan was running his hands through Ben's curly when he asked the odd question. Ben popped his head up off his pillow and raised his eyebrow at Ivan._

 _"That's an odd question to ask out of the blue."_

 _"C'mon, just answer the question, You wank." Ivan smiled cutely at Ben and rested his head down on Ben's shoulder._

 _Ben paused for a moment. It was clear he was thinking a little hard about it. "I mean... I could honestly go anywhere, I am best friends with a dragon."_

 _"For real. I mean it. Where would you like to go- and the Rim don't count."_

 _Ben let out an elongated sigh and thought for several more seconds. "I guess... Norway. I hear they're pretty peaceful. Trust me, peaceful would be a nice change for once." Ben smiled and looked at Ivan._

 _"What about you? Hm? Anywhere you'd fancy being?"_

 _"No, not really. I mean... you're already next to me."_

 _Ivan watched as Ben's face turned a quick shade of red before he laughed softly and suddenly. "You shouldn't say things like that... You'd be giving people the wrong idea, mate."_

 _"And? I don't care what people think. You're my friend, mate. We're close."_

 _"... right, friend..."_

 _Ivan smiled and brought a little before deciding to break the mood with a joke. "You know... you smell like old fries."_

 _All Ben did was just shoot Ivan a confused look before just giving up with a small chuckle. "I should hop in the shower then." With a groan, Ben pushed himself off of his bed and then proceeded to stand up smoothing out his clothes. "You never did answer my question. If you were to be anywhere in the world, where?" Ben asked Ivan. Ben walked over to his drawer and started to take out some fresh clothes. Ivan hesitated for a moment and sat up cross-legged on Ben's bed._

 _"... I guess if I had to choose. America. Back in Illinois."_

 _Ben paused and turned back to Ivan with a curious look "Really? Nowhere different?"_

 _"Nah, there's no place like home, Y'know?"_

Ivan's head felt like it was splitting in two, his stomach was swimming, and he couldn't focus on anything without feeling like he was going to vomit. All he could do was shut his eyes and let his head fall back against whatever his back was against. All Ivan was trying to do right now was steady his breathing and swarming head. He hardly managed to get his eyes open just a crack to see where he was. His stomach twisted and he gagged loudly but managed to hold his lunch down long enough to see that he wasn't alone and upon realizing that something wasn't right it gave him enough strength to open his eyes fully.

Horror. That's all that registered in Ivan's mind.

Across from Ivan was Ben. Ben was fully awake and staring at Ivan with wide eyes. His one hand was chained up to a wall- _chained!_ Not just chained but gagged as well! A cloth placed expertly over Ben's mouth and tied in the back. Ben had a pretty bad bruise on his left temple that seemed to spread all the way to his eye that wasn't black- but seemed to have burst a blood vessel because a chunk of his eye was a nasty red. At first Ivan had feared that someone had beat him- but no. Looking at how damaged Ben was this wasn't a beating-

 _The car had crashed._

Ivan looked around and realized the more horrifying thing of the fact that _they were all like that._ Atticus and Zenith where on the right of Ben and Ivan's mom on Ivan's left. The only ones not accounted for were Twigleg, Rosa, and Lola and her family. Ivan was no exception to being physically restrained. His wrists bound over his head and a gag over his mouth. Ivan's mind started to swarm, but this time with pure panic. His feet were free and maybe it was because of his situation- but he started thinking-

 _"No! Dad not the straightjacket!" Little ten-year-old_ _Ivan kicked and screamed. He tried to dig his feet into the ground but his father was way stronger._

 _"You are going to learn! Goddammit! I am sick of your backtalk!" James snarled violently as he pulled Ivan forward with little to no effort on his part. Ivan tried in vein to fight back- he could see the straightjacket chained to the wall and went into a panic. He then went as far as to kick his father in the shin in an effort to get free. "Ow! God-" James did let go and Ivan bolted for an exit, but his ten year old legs were no match for his father's longer strides. In one swoop James picked a screaming Ivan up by the middle and lifted him off of the ground. That's when Ivan started kicking again. "Ivan Damien Newlands! Enough! Either you get into that straightjacket or I swear I'll beat you into an inch of your life! You hear me!-"_

Ivan felt something press against his calf. It snapped him out of his flashback and he realized that it was Ben. Ben had reached out with his own foot and pressed it against Ivan's calf in an attempt to comfort him. Everyone else was just staring at him. All with leveling expressions of worry. Atticus had a look of pity in his eyes, Zenith seemed mildly alarmed by this, His mother just looked concerned, and Ben... Ben seemed to be the only one who understood what Ivan had just went through.

Ivan's heart was beating a mile-a-minute and that's when the realization had hit him- he must have been panicking. He had been kicking his legs and probably even thrashing around in this state. Ivan tried to calm his rapidly beating heart and to focus on anything else and in this vivid state of his, he started to realize something just a little more terrifying-

They where in a tight space, with metal walls, and one big metal door leading to the outside and seemed like the whole place was... vibrating?- _'We're in a semi trailer! Oh my god, we're being shipped out! No! I have a dragon to save dammit!'_ Ivan started to thrash about again, this time more purposely. He hoped to loosen his bonds around his wrists, but he knew it was only in vein. _'This can't be happening!'_ Ivan felt tears start well up in his eyes. _'Please! No!'_ Once again he felt something press against his kicking calf and he stopped his frantic struggling. Ben only shook his head at Ivan. Ivan couldn't stop his tears from falling down, he rested his back against the metal wall behind him after all he didn't exactly have a choice.

To Ivan it felt like he was attached to that wall forever. He felt the anticipation start to creep up and choke him the longer he was chained to that wall. Hours ticked away in that mildly hot semi-trailer. The sun must have been beating down on it because the inside was starting to get uncomfortably warm and stuffy. Ivan could feel beads of sweat start to form at his brow and slide down his skin. He wanted nothing more than to wipe his sweat away but he couldn't. He started to breath heavily as sweat started to soak through his collar. He wasn't alone in this either, everyone was sweating and looking uncomfortable. Atticus spoke, but it was muffled so Ivan couldn't make it out.

More time passed in this metal sweat box and Ivan wondered if they were ever going to get out of this or if these men were going to make them sweat to death. Well, after what seemed an eternity the trailer came to a halt and stayed stopped. Ivan could hear his mother's breathing became more erratic and startled, Ivan wanted nothing more than to help her and calm her down, but he couldn't reach her and he could only watch. Aside from his mother's scared breathing Ivan could make out soft scuffles from the outside of the trailer. Ivan could only sit there and wait, and wait he did because these guys took their sweet time opening the main door.

When that door did finally open it felt like Ivan was stabbed directly into his eyes. The light was so blinding that he had to squeeze his eyes shut and turned his head away from the door. Ivan was _sure_ he heard Atticus and Zenith both hiss at the invading sunlight. "Rise and Shine, Rabbits!" A deep voice greeted them. Ivan still couldn't look in that direction, so he had to wait to see who was yelling. The trailer shifted and a loud _Clang!_ rang out as it was clear that this man was now inside the trailer with them. "You know, you lot were hard to find!"

Ivan finally managed to look over at the man. He was the big guy from the hospital _'The ringleader.'_ Ivan decided almost instantly. He had an Australian accent that just made Ivan shudder. The tattooed guy was right behind him in an instant.

Ivan almost instantly focused on the class container in the Tattooed man's hands. _'Twigleg and Rosa!'_ Ivan could see the two homunculi cramped inside of the container he wasn't the only one, Ivan watched as Ben tried to make a lunge, but was stopped short by the restraints. "Ah-ah." The ringleader simply pushed Ben back with his boot like it was nothing. He then planted his foot on top of Ben's chest. Ivan felt his shoulders tense up. "Consider these little pests leverage- if any of you make a break for it these little guys will be nothing more than a greasy stain on the ground. Do, I make myself clear?" It seemed like he was talking to Ben directly as he leered down at Ben and even put more pressure on Ben's chest with his foot. Ben grimaced in pain but nodded nonetheless. The man took his foot off of Ben's chest and leaned over Ben to undo the restraint. "Funny thing is, we didn't care about losing you lot, but someone wanted you guys specially- paid a pretty penny, we just couldn't say no." The man chortled. The restraint came off- well... it didn't 'come off' the cuff part stayed attached to Ben's wrist but he was no longer attached to the wall.

Ben's arm fell down like a log and he seemed to be relieved to no longer be chained to the wall. Ivan could do nothing but watch as Ben's chain was snatched up and Ben was forced to his feet. Ivan instinctively tried to get to Ben when this happened, but of course he was still chained to the wall so this did nothing but make noise. The Ringleader didn't bat an eye at Ivan. "Alright, men. I'm not doing all of the work here!" The Ringleader barked and then snapped his fingers. In just moments other hunters came rushing in. Each of them releasing everyone. Ivan thought for sure that Atticus was going to put up a fight, hell, Ivan was sure _he_ was going to deck one of these bastards once released, but... He knew that Twigleg and Rosa's life were on the line here and he knew if he caused Twigleg's death Ben would never ever forgive him. The question is... where is Lola and her family? Ivan didn't really have too much time to think on it as his arms were freed and like Ben's own arms Ivan's arms fell to his side and all he felt was just relief.

The relief didn't last long as, like Ben, Ivan was jerked up to his feet by the chains still around his wrists.

And in a matter of minutes Ivan was part of a chain gang, also in those same matter of minutes Ivan found out that his mother really wasn't a fan of this life. All of them were in a line with chains around their wrists and ankles, none of them dare fight back in fear for the Manikins life, but that didn't stop his mother from clearly freaking out. His mom was right behind him and Ivan could hear her fearful and panicked breathing. Ivan wanted nothing more than to reach behind his back and hold her hand, but he couldn't and had no choice but to listen to his mom cry.

Then like cattle to the slaughter they were herded outside. Ivan grimaced at the bright sunlight but thankfully his eyes were mostly use to it so he was able to get a good look as to where they were being lead to and he felt his heart just sink into his stomach once he saw that they were at a university. _'Not again...'_ Ivan could only think as he shut his eyes. "Hustle! Move it!" Then with a loud _Bang!_ The hunters slammed the trailer doors shut and the chain was pulled harshly forcing them to walk forward. Ivan's mom let out a loud sniffle and several rapid-fire sobs. Again, Ivan wanted nothing more than to comfort her but there was nothing he could do.

Being marched up to the main door, Ivan watched as the ringleader walked up to the door and bang on it. "Open up!" The man barked. Ivan felt both Ben and his mother jump. The door opened just a crack and the Ringleader only chuckled. "We got the goods."

 _'Oh, we're 'goods' now.'_ Ivan bitterly thought before shaking his head at his own dumb thought. Of course, people are nothing but goods to these men. Ivan wanted nothing more than to just sock this ass in his mouth.

The door opened on command and they were ushered inside. Ivan felt relief from the obnoxious summer heat when he was met with air conditioning. It almost instantly cooled his sweating body down. Still, he knew better than to let his guard down. Especially sense he's currently tied up and bound into silence. "C'mon! You still got both of your feet!" The chains were tugged on again and this time Ivan nearly tripped on to the slick metal floor. _'Oh, when I get out of these...'_ Ivan swore in his head as he glared at the hunters. They were lead down a hallway where they walked passed at least three or four doors until they reached their door it seemed. The door opened without a hitch and in they were. First it was dark, no one could see a thing, but judging by the fact that Atticus and Zenith both stopped just before entering- this told Ivan that something was up.

"Eh! You want the bloodsuckers in with the rest of the lot?" One voice spoke up from the back.

"Look, the woman who paid us made it clear- she wants _everyone_ in their little group. Now turn on a damn light!" The ringleader barked from the darkness. Ivan was _sure_ he heard something scuffle inside of the room.

And then God said 'let there be light!'. Ivan and everyone else grimaced when the bright florescent lights turned on into the room. Ivan hardly got his eyes open when his chain was tugged at in the front, thinking it was one of the hunters pulling them forward Ivan actually decided to plant his feet in the ground- well that turned out to be a bad mistake.

It turns out it was Ben who had tugged at the chains- he had tried to run forward without thinking. When Ivan planted his feet into the ground it caused Ben's one and only arm to jerk back painfully and for Ben to fall back onto his thigh. Ben couldn't get up he was laying on his right side and unable to push himself up to his feet, but that didn't stop him from wiggling forward. Ivan soon realized that Ben was trying to say something. Ivan soon followed Ben's gaze and realized just what had gotten him worked up.

Esmeralda was there. Tired to a chair. Her long hair was cut sloppily into a forced choppy uneven boy cut. Her left eye was swollen and purple clearly healing. She looked at all of them with wide and scared eyes that it actually made Ivan feel bad for her. He could only shiver and wonder what they have done to her. Next to her was Winston and he looked a little worse for wear as well. To be fair he wasn't looking that great in the hospital either. Ivan noticed how there were an exact number of chairs for all of them and all of the chairs were placed in a circle so basically, everyone was looking at one another.

"Ouch!" The ringleader laughed at Ben. "C'mon ye little cripple, get up!" He then proceeded to push Ben over with a sharp kick to the shoulder. To Ivan's surprise, Ben fought back. With in seconds of being kicked on to his back, Ben reeled both of his feet back and kicked the Ringleader in the knees using all of his power.

The guy's knees buckled and in the process, he dropped the container holding Rosa and Twigleg. Ivan only watched in horror as the two Manikins seemed to fall in slow motion. With a harsh crash, the glass container shattered into a million pieces on the floor. "Run! Run!" Even though it was muffled Ivan knew just what Ben was saying. Twigleg jumped up, his hand in Rosa's and...

Ivan has never seen Twigleg this torn before. Clearly, Twigleg didn't want to leave Ben's side, but at the same time, he knew if he stayed it'd be certain doom. "Twigleg! Let's go!" Rosa pulled on Twigleg's collar. "We go!" She urged.

"Go!" Ben screamed at Twigleg.

The Ringleader regained himself and brought his foot up fully prepared to stomp on Twigleg but it seemed Twigleg regained himself and quickly Rosa and him took off running. "Don't just stand there you morons! Get them!" The ringleader gave chase and so did the others all trying to cut off the two homunculi. It seems that being smaller came with the benefits of being hard to catch because almost as soon as the duo got to the air vent that was in the floor they were gone and out of sight. There was a moment of silence as the hunters all just stared at the air vent before the ringleader turned his rage towards Ben. "You!-" He marched forward and yanked Ben to his feet by his one arm. With no warning he actually took the gag off of Ben's mouth. "You better-"

 _Ptb!_

Ivan couldn't stop his startled gasp. Ben went straight up gangster (or suicidal) and _spat_ on this guy's face before he even finished his sentence. The man actually recoiled in shock and quickly went to wipe the spit off of his face. The man's face turned red in anger. "Somebody... tie him up." The ringleader snarled. Two hunters quickly grabbed Ben one keeping his hand at bay while the other unchained him from everyone else. "Put him next to the tranny-" Ben spat again- this time not on the man- but at the man's feet.

 _'Stop! He's going to kill you if you keep it up!'_ Ivan's mind completely screamed. The ringleader stepped forward and with one swift movement simply settled on punching Ben right in the mouth. Ben's head whipped back and Ben almost fell to the ground with how strong of a punch this man threw. Ivan gasped out and felt nothing but anger fill his body from head to toe. Ben's a fighter though. Even though everyone more or less have been treating Ben like.. well... a fragile doll since he lost his arm, but Ivan was about to learn that Ben was still Ben, arm or no arm.

Ben simply and slowly brought his head forward, licked his bloody lips, and then spat again. This time making _sure_ that he got right in this guy's face again. "Screw. You." Ben snarled before spitting on the ground again. "I've met worse than you... you... you don't scare me. With your big muscles and strong build, you're nothing more than scum!"

"Tie him to the chair. Now." The man's voice was a deadly sort of calm that sent a chill up Ivan's spine. Ivan wanted nothing more than to be out of his bonds and to not be chained to his mother at this moment! The men grabbed Ben and forced him into a chair. All they had to do was handcuff his one hand to the chair leg- however, one of the men went to tie his leg to the chair leg and swiftly got a foot to the face by Ben. (Ivan could just feel Zenith shutter from experience.). "Now-" A knife was now under Ben's chin by the Ringleader. "-That's enough." The ringleader twisted the tip of the knife against the under side of Ben's chin. That seemed to make Ben a little more quieter and just a tad submissive. "Bring the others."

Ivan hardly had time to react. His chains were snatched and he was detached from his mother. Ivan was fully ready to start swinging, he didn't care that his hands were cuffed together he was ready to throw down- and it seemed that the hunters were faster than he was. "Don't-" The tattooed man suddenly grabbed Ivan's mom by her hair and forced her head back exposing her neck. "-Even think about it!" He then put his own knife against her neck. Almost instantly her breathing became more scared and labored and scared. His mom tried to take a step back, but that did nothing as the hunter just walked with her. "Go ahead tough guy, Lets see what _mommy_ will say when I slit her throat?" The man was taunting Ivan- borderline egging him on. "This goes for you bloodsuckers as well!"

There was a silence and Ivan simply did what he knew was right. He backed down and allowed himself to be tied to a chair. For his mother's sake. Ivan's hands were handcuffed to the back of the chair and his legs tied to the chair's own legs. It seemed that Atticus and Zenith both allowed this as well. A knife was truly a powerful tool in this case. Once everyone was handcuffed and tied down there was only silence. Now they were at these people mercy. "What do they even want with us?" Ben suddenly asked as it seemed the Ringleader was ready to leave. This actually caused the Ringleader to stop just short of them. "You said it yourself! You didn't even want to come back for us, but someone paid you to do it! What do they want!" Ben demanded. "W-What did we do?!"

"Well-" Before the Ringleader could speak- or anyone could speak for that matter- a woman spoke up. From the door she came, her heels clacking with every step she took towards them. Her hips swayed and her shoulders stayed back as it became clear that she was not a woman to be trifled with. "You're dismissed." She simply waved the hunters off and off they went.

Ivan was pretty sure he's seen her from somewhere, but he couldn't place her. She had blonde hair that stopped short just below her shoulders, that was clearly bleached as her eyebrows were a dark brown color, she seemed almost smug as she made her way towards them, her make up was done professionally and beautifully. She walked up to the circle and stopped right in the middle so she was in the center. Ivan was sitting across from Esmeralda and the way Esmeralda seemed to almost perk up at this woman's presence made Ivan's eyes narrow just a little bit. "That, my dear boy, is an _excellent_ question."

There was a sudden growl to Ivan's right making him look at his mother. His mother's own eyes were narrowed and she looked _pissed_ to see this woman. "Sherri? Is that you! It's been ages!" The woman gave a fake almost hokey laugh towards Ivan's mother. She walked over and pulled at the gag from Sherri's mouth allowing her to talk once again.

"I should have guessed it was _you_ that orchestrated all of this!" Sherri snarled suddenly. "You never could take no for an answer, even almost seventeen years later after the fact right, Madison?"

 _'Madison... Madison... Woodrow- Madison Hale! Dad's... Dad's lawyer.'_

 _'My father hires the best of the best.'_ Ivan's own words echoed around his head as he looked at Madison up and down. She definitely filled that roll of 'best of the best' in Ivan's mind just by looking at her. She looked professional in her black pant suit (That did not look cheap) and heels. Her face practically spelled 'no nonsense.' Basically, Ivan wouldn't want to be on trial with her against him. A moment seemed to pass as she looked at everyone that surrounded her.

"So, what do you want!?" Ben suddenly demanded. "We did nothing-"

"That's were you're wrong!" Maddison suddenly barked at Ben. She then got a nasty look on her face. "Nothing? You did nothing?! You two?" She then brought Ivan into the conversation. "Oh no, you see. You two _stole_ from me first and foremost. Where's the box?"

"That's Ivan's inheritance-"

"No! First: It's _Joshua's_ inheritance! This- This _fraud_ he isn't Joshua! and second: My stupid husband took the box from me and contacted you without my knowledge. It doesn't belong to him-" All Ivan suddenly heard was banging. This brought everyone's attention to Esmeralda who was now bouncing up and down in her chair in attempt to make noise for some reason- but it didn't leave a lasting effect on Madison as she just waved him off with an eyeroll. "The box!" She demanded.

"We don't have it!" Ben seethed. "We couldn't open it and decided it was best to burn it!-" Madison suddenly grabbed Ben by his chin and squeezed his cheeks in her hand. Ivan could actually see this woman's sharp nails digging into Ben's face.

"You're a liar! You know that every human- every god damn human- has a certain 'tick' when they lie. Some hide it better than others. You aren't one of them."

"You don't even know me."

"I know in the short span that I met you that you blink. You blink _a lot_ when you lie. Rapid heartrate probably does it in for you. You opened the box. Didn't you?" Ben didn't answer. Madison let go of his face and turned her attention to Ivan. All she had to do was tug at the back of his gag and his mouth was free. She crouched down and actually cooed at him. She then reached up and gently tucked a piece of Ivan's hair behind his head. That alone was enough to make his shudder. She alone was enough to make him shutter. She reeked of 'crazy'. "What was inside the box?"

Ivan kept his mouth shut. A staring game between the two then started. Ivan learned that she had brown eyes, he only knew that because for an uncomfortable thirty seconds she just stared at him unblinking. She then stood up and crossed her arms over his chest and she frowned. "I see..." She huffed. "I want you to know that I have the power here! Not you." Ivan didn't react he knew that's what she was after. Her eyes narrowed. "You don't think? I did my research-" She smirked and turned to Ben.

"Benjamin Anthony Greenbloom. Adoptive son of Barnabas and Vita Greenbloom. He has a sister, Guinevere and a baby brother Jackson. Dragon Rider." Ben's eyes went wide but she didn't notice as she moved to Atticus.

"Atticus Noel, at least his most recent name that is. Vampire. Close to a thousand years in age. Three darling little children. Lucy- turned, Jason-turned, and Sofi-" She giggled. "-Turned. How do I know That?" She paid attention to Atticus this time around and actually dropped down to her knees so they were within eye level. She then pulled her phone out of her pants went through it for a couple of seconds before she found what she was looking for. Ivan had no clue what she showed Atticus, but from the way he jumped, Ivan could tell that he ready to straight up maul this woman. Unfortunately, he was chained to the chair and unable to do as he wished. She got back up to her feet and went on over to Zenith. All the while Atticus was now jerking in his bonds trying his hardest to get free.

"And we finish on the traitor. Zenith. Not quite a human and not quite a vampire. A literal clone of his former self. Made to destroy and serve and yet he went rouge. Killed his former master, joined with James, obviously helped in James's death in someway- it makes me wonder-" She put her finger to her chin thought before leaning down so they were face to face. "- I believe you said what made you turn on James, in the end, was a well-placed dragon fire, but I'm smart enough to know that's wrong. If it were dragon fire you'd be nothing more than ashes on the ground and I think you know that. Tell me, was it a familiar face that caused you to go deviant?" Zenith let out a growl and jerked his head away from her. Ivan could just read Zenith's face and it had the clear expression of 'Fuck you.' on it.

She only hummed and stood up fully; she focused back on Ivan. "I know about everyone." Esmeralda started bouncing again. This time she was trying to talk but all that came out were muffled words that nobody could make out. Clearly, she _wanted_ this woman's attention to the point that Winston, who was next to Esmeralda, was trying to wiggle away from her. So, Ivan decided to indulge Esmeralda.

"What about them? Huh? What do they gotta do with anything?" Ivan gestured towards Esmeralda and Winston. Winston had a wide-eyed look on his face like he was caught doing something bad. While Esmeralda almost seemed happy to _finally_ get this woman's attention. Madison hardly spared them a glance and Ivan could almost see the heartbreak in Esmeralda's eyes.

"Them? They're from my daughter if she decides she wants a friend or whatever."

Esmeralda had a different look in a second. Confusion. Ivan, for once, wanted nothing more than asked Esmeralda what was wrong with her, but for obvious reasons he couldn't. "You know what? I'm going to give you some time to think. When I come back you better tell me either where that box is or what was inside it." Ivan only watched her in silent anger as she started to walk away from the group. Ivan only listened as her heels clacked away. Of course, she wasn't an idiot. Ivan could see how many cameras were pointing at them. Meaning if they were going to escape it wasn't going to be easy.

Ivan tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling. At the many lights above them. He had to think of a convincing lie but Ivan knew that lying to a lawyer was going to be insanely difficult. "What did she mean 'helped in James's death?'." Ivan turned his head to his mother. Her eyes were narrowed and her shoulders were tensed up as she stared down Zenith. "James killed himself!"

"And that he did, mom. She's just crazy." Ivan quickly lied. His mother looked at him with an almost sorrowful face. She almost looked like she didn't believe him. However; before she could either say that she didn't believe him or not a loud roar rang through out the whole building. It was so loud that several things around them actually started to shake and vibrate. Ivan felt his blood run almost frigid as his heart sank all the way down to his knees. He knew that roar. That was Issiah's roar.

They were in the same building as him, which was both a grace and a curse. Good because they're so close to rescuing him now. A curse because of everything else stacking up against them. They were tied up, now being interrogated, and had to find a way to save Issiah. However; it seemed _help_ wasn't too far away as the door opened only moments later and in came a girl. Just a few years younger than Ivan. She was wearing a dirty sundress and was barefoot.

She had golden blonde hair that seemed to shine in the light. Her green eyes also almost seem to pop out at Ivan. Ivan was honestly sure she was looking at him. A startled gasp left her mouth. "M-Martin?!"

 _'That's not my name-'_ The girl suddenly bolted from the door and over towards Esmeralda of all people. She quickly undid the gag around her mouth. "Rosaline?!" Martin gasped as well in a state of confusion. "Mom... you... I thought you were dead!"

"Mom told me you and dad died!" Rosaline suddenly hugged Esmeralda tightly. "What happened to you! Why are you here! and... why are you wearing a dress?"

"A lot has happened in the passed ten years, Rosaline..."


	20. Chapter 20

When Twigleg and Rosa had jumped down the air vent, Twigleg had a thought that maybe- just maybe- there would be a floor underneath that would catch them. No, it turns out that there was _nothing_ under the air vent and down the metal slide of death the two went.

Rosa had been the first to jump and she actually seemed to be having a blast as they were dragged farther and farther away from Ben and the others. Twigleg, on the other hand, was seeing his life flash before his eyes the farther down they were forced to go. Rosa squealed with glee and even threw her hands up in the air like she was enjoying some sort of ride at an amusement park. Then the end came and it came pretty hard. The drop couldn't have been no more than a five-foot drop, but to a manikin, it was almost like a fifty-foot drop. Rosa had landed with a yelp and Twigleg was only seconds behind her, he couldn't stop himself in time and wound up falling directly on her. "Are you okay?!" Twigleg quickly scampered off of Rosa. She had been enough to break Twigleg's so he wasn't hurt, however that didn't mean she wasn't hurt in the process.

Rosa was on her hands and knees when Twigleg had fallen on her. Now she was on her stomach, hair covering her face so he couldn't see her. Her arms were around her head and she just looked... well, to Twigleg she almost looked dead. "Rosa!?" He called out to her loudly but there was no response. Twigleg felt his breath get caught in his throat in fear that he had accidentally killed her. "R-Rosa..." Twigleg felt tears start to sting at his eyes as heart rate quickened- he tried to reach out to her but his hand was shaking too badly.

Without any warning, Rosa's head suddenly sprung up with a soft 'huh?' leaving her mouth and Twigleg nearly jumped out of his skin. He took a startled step back and quickly tried to wipe his unshed tears away before she noticed. "That hurt." Rosa sighed quietly to Twigleg. Twigleg felt his cheeks quickly redden in embarrassment. He wanted nothing more than to facepalm at his own stupidity. In his panic, he had yelled to Rosa- _yelled!_ To a partially deaf manikin! Of course, Rosa wasn't going to respond!

"Are you okay?" He signed and helped her to her feet.

"I think..." Rosa paused her signing to check her wrists, ankles, and neck with little ticks before nodding. "Nothing broken!" She yelled out. Twigleg put his hand over her mouth.

"Only sign, we can't have them hearing us." He warned her in sign language. She nodded in understanding. Twigleg then took a look around to get a good grasp at what they were currently facing. He first looked up at where they had fallen from. No way they can climb back up there. Not only too steep but the metal proved to be too slippery. So, Twigleg looked back behind them. Which was basically a long corridor down. "I guess we go this way..."

Twigleg swallowed hard and started to walk forward. Rosa followed obediently. Not even five seconds of walking did Rosa suddenly get Twigleg's attention. "My mistress was okay," She signed almost happily. "Do you think she'll be happy to see me again? I've been very worried about her."

"I'm sure Esmeralda will be ecstatic to see you again."

"Her hair was cut, I think those men did it."

"I have no doubt about that."

The more they walked the more uneasy Twigleg was feeling, he didn't know why he was feeling just so uneasy until Rosa suddenly caught his attention about another five minutes into their walk. "They might hurt Ben," Rosa said out of nowhere. There it is. Twigleg felt his anxiety skyrocket to an eleven at that mention. Rosa was a hundred percent right about these people. They will hurt Ben and won't bat an eye about doing so.

"Then we have to hurry!" Twigleg grabbed her by her hand and started to pull her along faster. Twigleg didn't know where they were going to wind up, but he didn't care, because he knew that once they get out of the vents he'll find his way back to Ben sooner or later. Twigleg was full of bravado and ready to find his friend at any cost! However; not even five seconds into their search for an exit Twigleg was forced to stop. The whole vent started to shake as a familiar roar sounded throughout the whole building. It was so loud that Rosa suddenly clutched to Twigleg's arm.

"What was that?" She squeaked in fear. "It was so loud!"

Twigleg couldn't stop his sudden grin from spreading across his face as he felt a spark of hope. "... A dragon!"

* * *

"Wait, wait..." Ivan looked back and forth between Esmeralda and Rosaline. He then looked back over to Ben- who just shrugged. "You two know each other? What the hell is going on here? Was this a setup!" Ivan couldn't stop his snarl from leaving his mouth as he looked accusingly at Esmeralda.

"What? No! Never! I wouldn't set you guys up!" Esmeralda let out a loud gasp at Ivan. "This is... This is my sister-" Esmeralda looked at Ben. "I told you about her, remember?"

Ben seemed to be racking his brain for only a second before it hit him. "You said she was dead."

"Well, I thought she was!" Esmeralda huffed at Ben. She then focused back on Rosaline. "This is great! Not only are you alive but you could let us out!" Esmeralda smiled.

Rosaline looked uncomfortable and took a step away from Esmeralda. "I can't... Mama's scary." It seemed that she reverted into a child for just a second. Ivan heard Jackson talk like that a lot. Still, Ivan didn't exactly put two and two together until Esmeralda suddenly said it-

"Mama didn't even recognize me..."

 _'No fucking way.'_ Was the only functioning thought in Ivan's mind at that moment? His mind shot back to only minutes ago to Esmeralda trying so desperately to get Madison's attention. "You've got to be kidding me... Madison Hale is your mom?!" Ivan almost flat out demanded.

"Makes sense..." Ben suddenly spoke up. "Woodrow did mention having a son."

"Yeah, but the way Woodrow mentioned it made me think his son was living with him! Why weren't you there when Woodrow died!" Ivan suddenly demanded and Esmeralda's face turned red with apparent anger while Rosaline let out a bit of a startled gasp- not at Esmeralda's sudden anger but rather at the news of Woodrow's death. Ivan was pretty sure he just told the girl that she no longer had a dad.

"Are you accusing me of killing my own dad?!"

"Mi Hijo, maybe antagonizing isn't the best idea." Ivan's mom spoke up in a warning tone clearly noting the sudden tension. Rosaline took another step back and put her hands over her ears. Ivan then turned to Ben- for support? Maybe, but it seemed like Ben wasn't even paying any attention to them at the moment. He had his head to the floor by his feet like he was trying to focus on something.

"I'm not- no! Just why weren't you there?"

"Because I knew to leave."

"You... are so crazy. So, you knew your dad was going to be killed and you just left?"

"No-I- it's complicated... Ben knows about it! Tell him, Ben!" Esmeralda yelled to Ben, but once again he wasn't exactly paying attention as his gazed had now moved to the left wall. "... Ben!"

Ben blinked as he was being called back to reality. "What?"

"Ben, what the hell is Esmeralda going on about?" Ivan finally asked him.

Ben blinked again but seemed to piece it together in only a few seconds. "Oh... are you talking about her precognition?"

"Her what now?" Ivan raised an eyebrow.

"Precognition," Ben said the word again like Ivan would know what it meant. Ben then rolled his eyes once he saw that Ivan still hadn't gotten it. "She can see into the future, mate."

"... That's... so stupid. She can see into the future? If that's the case then why didn't you see any of this happening?!" Ivan demanded and this time it was Esmeralda who rolled her eyes.

"Because it doesn't work like that. I see that _something_ is going to happen, but I don't see the ending. So, even the actual future is a surprise to me." Esmeralda explained to Ivan like he was five. Ivan sucked in a breath through his nose and then just sighed out uneasily.

"Is that true?" Rosaline poked her nose in. "You can really see the future?"

"Well... kinda, I mean in a way I don't really see what happens in the future... this is confusing to me as well as everyone else."

"Talking rats. Dragons. My son returning into my life, and now a tranny who can see the future. I've seen it all." Mrs. Newlands sighed very heavily. Ivan saw Ben cringe at that. Because Ben, out of everyone, knows that tone all too well. It's the same tone that Oliver uses today. Ivan really didn't want his mom turning into Oliver, but he couldn't bring himself to really say anything to comfort her- Esmeralda had something to say, however.

" _Don't_ call me that, goddammit!" Esmeralda's face turned red again as it almost seemed like he was close to tears.

"Martin, you're wearing a dress-" Rosaline laughed like it was nothing.

"So! That doesn't mean anything. I may be a transgender, but that doesn't mean you can just call me a slur!" Esmeralda huffed fully offended. "It'd be like if I called Ivan a-" Esmeralda quickly censored herself before she could get the word out. "-No... I will not sink that low-"

Atticus suddenly spat his gag- that he had been fighting with this whole time it turns out- and caught everyone attention almost instantly with his heavy breathing. "This social justice PSA has been nice and all, but all of you have forgotten that we are _currently tied up!_ My kids are in the building and I'm not fighting with you on this!" He turned his focus to Rosaline. "Uncuff me. I'm not scared of your mom."

"I... can't!"

"You can-"

"No, I can't! You don't know my mother! She's horrifying!" Rosaline grasped her hair tightly in her hands. "It's not only that but the one to most likely have the keys is 'the vampire'!"

A hush fell over everyone as Atticus looked Rosaline up and down for a few seconds. "The vampire?" He finally asked a little curious.

"Sabrina. She's my mom's right hand!"

"Does she have round pupils?" Atticus asked- no- demanded to know.

Rosaline didn't even have to think on it. She just shook her head. "No, they're slit."

"Shit! Full-blood..." cursed Attius bitterly.

"A hate her... I hate her so much! She's the reason Mama is the reason she is. I'm sure Mama would have moved on from James Marrs if Sabrina hadn't of popped in the picture..." Rosaline wrapped her arms around her chest in a more protective matter. "I _hate_ James."

"Join the club!" Ivan chuckled ignoring his mother's almost hateful look at that. "But- uh- between the two of us I just want to know why she's so obsessed with him? I mean she's just my dad's lawyer-"

"-Your dad? No-no-" Rosaline waggled her finger at Ivan. "-You're mistaken. My Mama made it clear within my ten years of living here... James Marrs is _my_ daddy."

* * *

Firedrake was growing anxious. He lost Issiah's scent fairly quickly, he tried to find his way back to find it but just wound up getting himself confused, and now he barely knew which was up! "Death caps..." Sorrel sighed and laid down on Firedrake's back. "It's so _hot!_ " She half whined. "Where even are we?!"

"I..." Firedrake paused to think as he looked left and right. This placed felt different from where they previously were. The trees didn't look the same some of them were short with spikey leaves while others were taller with different spikey leaves. Firedrake could almost smell the ocean from where he was. "...I don't know..." Firedrake finally admitted to Sorrel. The sun was up and high and Firedrake was growing tired. "I don't know! Are we even in America anymore!?"

Sorrel was fanning herself with her hand now. "I'm sure we are. We haven't crossed any oceans- but we may be close to one..." Firedrake could sense that she might be thinking up something. There were a good thirty seconds of silence between the two of them before Sorrel finally came out and said it. "Tonight... we might be able to find the ocean if we keep following the smell..."

"Sorrel-"

"I know you don't want to hear it Firedrake, but I think we need to leave! Let's find the ocean and _leave this place_!"

"And leave Ben behind?! How will he and Ivan get back to the UK without us?! I'm sure Issiah won't be around to help them in that regard... I can't believe I just said that..." Firedrake sighed and crossed one foot over the other.

"Hey, I don't want to leave Ben behind either- but Firedrake, if we stay here we're just going to get more lost... I... Firedrake. I don't think Ben's been waiting around this long for us to return to him. The chances of us finding him now are very slim to none. You know this. I know this... let's leave, go to the rim and get our baring together- or even go to the UK to get a search party, I don't know! but we can't stay here... we'll die before we find Ben again..."

A painful sigh left Firedrake's mouth. Sorrel watched as he shut his eyes and proceeded to lay his head down on his paws. "Sorrel... I think my heart would break of sadness if I left Ben behind."

Sorrel laid down on Firedrake's neck and let out her own sigh. "I know... but really just think about it? I mean _really_ think about it."

"I just wish there was a way for him to find me. It would save us so much time... I should have given him the scale... I will never forgive myself for this blunder."

"I wish I could help, but I can't. I mean the only other I have is if we get captured, but-" Firedrake's head suddenly perked, this caused Sorrel's fur to bristle once she realized what he was thinking. "Firedrake-"

"That's not a bad idea... we'll be all over the human... what did Guinevere call it? News, I think. Ben might see it-"

"Firedrake!" Sorrel jumped from Firedrake's back and grabbed Firedrake by his snout pulling him down. "Absolutely not! You listen to me and you listen to me now! You aren't thinking straight. This is America, they could kill us- for all we know Issiah is dead! We. can't. do. this! It is too risky! You could expose all of the dragon kind, they could torture us-" A shiver ran through Sorrel's spine and she let go of Firedrake. "Please..." She practically begged. She then hugged him tightly around his neck. "I don't want to see you locked up like that again, not ever. I want to find Ben, I really do... but this isn't the way and you know that!"

"Then what are we going to do?"

"... Firedrake, face it... we _have_ to leave America..."

Firedrake didn't say anything for a long time. Instead, he just wrapped his tail around his body and looked down at the tall grass by his paws. "Let me sleep on it?"

"Yeah... of course... I'll sing you to sleep..."

So, Sorrel sat down beside him on the ground and started to sing to him. Sorrel watched him slowly fall asleep and find a small sadness rise in her chest. She knew she had to watch him closely, she knew he wasn't thinking straight and was ready put himself in harm's way to find Ben again. Sorrel _knew_ all of this, but maybe it was her inability to keep her eyes open for too long... or maybe she knew that there was truly no stopping Firedrake from doing his newfound goal but no matter she fell asleep nonetheless.

and it didn't surprise her one bit when she woke up. Alone. Dragonless. No, it just made her sad. "Oh, Firedrake."


	21. Chapter 21

"No..." Ivan denied the obvious at first. He was very quick to do this, so quick that Ben found it almost amusing.

"... Yes." Rosaline looked a little confused by Ivan's reaction, and Ben couldn't really blame her for sounding confused as it sounds her mother kept Ivan and Josh a secret from Rosaline. Ben was starting to piece together just how broken of a woman Madison must truly be. Ben saw something move on the floor out of the corner of his eye but he didn't bring attention to it. Ben knew exactly what it was.

So, Ben tried to focus on the obvious elephant in the room. Sherri. _'Oh... if looks could kill.'_ Ben thought with a painful grimace. The poor woman looked down right _pissed_ at this. Ben could see her just trying to process what was currently said. Ben then turned to Esmeralda to see her current reaction and she just looked almost hurt by this- and judging by that expression alone and the fact that she was supposed to be Woodrow (Aka: Currently dead) Ben could only speculate that Esmeralda was not James's son. Ben didn't know why but he looked over at Winston.

Winston just looked tired and Ben didn't blame him. Yeah, Ben was missing his arm and he had every right to be tired right now, but he wasn't tortured like Winston was. Ben wanted nothing more than to help this poor sod. Winston must have felt Ben's gaze because he looked at Ben only seconds later. He just looked so fed up and Ben felt an overwhelming urge to help Winston out of this situation and bring him to safety.

"No! You can't be!" Ivan suddenly snapped at Rosaline like it was her fault. This caused Ben to look at them both.

"Well, I am!"

"Ivan, you knew you had half-siblings, James even said so in the journal." Ben intervened and Ivan looked ready to retort but everyone quieted down when the doors suddenly opened and in came Madison. Rosaline paled almost instantly.

"Rosaline-" Madison huffed angerly. " _What_ are you doing in here?" She demanded.

"You absolute _puta!_ " Sherri screamed at Madison in her own rage. " _Cuando salga de aquí-"_ (When I get out of here) She started to threaten in her fit of rage it seemed like she was actually starting to bounce up and down in her chair.

"Aw, Rosaline did you spoil the surprise alright-"

"Mama!" Rosaline cut her off in a panic. Once she did she paused for a moment and looked back and forth between Ivan and Esmeralda deciding which one was more important until she settled on Esmeralda. "It's Martin!" She pointed almost excitedly at Esmeralda. "You told me that Martin was dead!"

Madison's smug look fell only seconds later as she looked passed Rosaline and over towards Esmeralda and for the first time she really _looked_ at Martin. Ben was one hundred percent sure he heard a soft 'Holy shit' leave Madison's mouth and her composure started to crumble. "No... Martin... Martin was with Woodrow..."

"No, Mom... I wasn't-" Madison walked over to Esmeralda promptly pushing Rosaline to the side and grabbed her by her face to get another good look at her. Madison grabbed Esmeralda so harshly that her nails dug into the sides of Esmeralda's face and she even squished Esmeralda's cheeks so Esmeralda couldn't really speak back. Madison tilted Esmeralda's head back and narrowed her eyes.

"Well... I'll be damn. I guess it really is you. Forgive me for not recognizing earlier-" Madison let go of Esmeralda's face and Esmeralda almost seemed to growl at this. "-You didn't exactly look like my _son_."

What happened next happened so fast that it almost didn't register to Ben.

Atticus had gotten free- Ben knew exactly how as he looked at Lola and Henry sitting on the chair. This was Ben's own request to the rats only moments ago. Because out of everyone here Ben knew that Atticus would be the one to get them out of this mess- hopefully. Atticus made a bee-line for Madison and grabbed her by the throat with no effort whatsoever; he managed to slam her into the nearest wall taking the breath out of her. "Where are they?" Atticus snarled. Rosaline let out a loud and scared gasp as she took a step back and brought her hands to her mouth. Now, Ben couldn't see Madison as Atticus's own body was blocking his view, but Ben could hear here. Scared gags and gasps left Madison's mouth followed by a strange clacking sound- Ben would later find out that was Madison kicking her heels against the wall.

Lola and Henry scurried over towards Zenith to free him next. While that did that Ben was starting to feel his blood run cold at the realization that Atticus wasn't letting go of Madison's throat any time soon. _'He's going to strangle her!'_

"Where are they!?" Atticus roared at her. More frantic gasps where leaving Madison's throat as the clacking got more intense. Ben actually saw one of Madison's shoe's drop from her foot.

"Mate! She can't answer you if you're choking her!" Ben screamed at Atticus hoping it'll get through to him.

"Stop it!" Rosaline came out of her shocked state and grabbed Atticus's by his arm to try and pull him off of her mother. _"Stop it!"_ She absolutely wailed. There was nothing Ben could do but to start yelling at Atticus to let Madison go- at least let go of her throat. It just became a bunch of panicked screaming at that point.

Because now not only was Ben yelling at Atticus to just let Madison go, but now Ivan was adding into the mix with his own yells at Atticus to stop, and Rosaline was still trying to pry him off of Madison. Ben was almost sure that Atticus was going to kill Madison- but... it was odd because at the exact same time Ben and Zenith both spoke.

 _"Orrick!"_

Zenith was standing now, Lola and Henrick moving on to freeing Ivan.

That did the trick. Atticus released her almost instantly and Madison fell to her side. Gags and gasps left her mouth followed by hoarse coughs. Madison put her hand to her throat- most likely still in shock, and backed away from Atticus. Rosaline ran to her mother and hugged her. "Just tell me where they are!" Atticus shouted at the top of his lungs to Madison. Madison was no longer confident and cool-headed- Ben was sure nobody would be at that point. She let out several shaky breaths and whispered "Third floor..."

In the time to follow this Ben would realize that Atticus never had any intent on killing Madison right then and there it wasn't even really about getting information from her. At that point and time, it was about sending a message to Madison... That she wasn't James Marrs. Because James would have had the brains to have back up with him in case that something like this were to happen to him. And Atticus told her that with just one sentence. "They say James only works with the best of the best... I don't see it with you." Atticus put his hands in his pockets and then turned and started to walk away not just from Madison, but from the rest of the group as well.

"Ouch," Ivan commented and then frowned when Atticus just kept on walking and Zenith followed behind him but stopped and watched as Atticus walked out of the room. "I take it he isn't exactly staying to help us out here?" Ivan questioned.

"No, and at this point, I can't stop him-"

"-Go," Ben spoke up suddenly. "He'll be killed by a full-blood you know this, I know this. Go, we got it from here." Zenith shot Ben a look and Ben only smiled back. "Go, he needs Zenith now more than ever," Ben ordered and Zenith just nodded back before taking off after Atticus.

"Are you sure about this?" Ivan was freed only seconds after his question and stood up rubbing his wrists. "We could need them."

"They need to find their kids first." Ben put it as plainly as possible and left no room for argument. Now that Ivan was free he walked over to Madison. Ben was able to see her now and not only did she look scared but it was kind of odd to watch Rosaline suddenly hug her mother tightly almost as if to shield her from Ivan. _'Abused victims love their parents/abusers too.'_ Ben thought as he watched this behavior. Lola and Henry were getting faster as they knew which way to turn the locks to release people so by the time Ivan had gotten up Sherri was already free and rubbing her wrist. _'This is going to be bad...'_ Ben thought for a moment as he watched Sherri gaze fall on Madison.

Ben full out expected a fight to break out right then and there but got a surprise when Mrs. Newlands calmly walked up to Madison (pushing Ivan out of her way to do so) and offered the woman her hand.

"I don't want your pity." Madison huffed and slapped Sherri's hand away from her.

Esmeralda was freed and she went straight to her mother- but didn't attempt to comfort her the way Rosaline was. Rosaline was clinging on to her mother like she was a life-line. Esmeralda just sort of stood there looking almost a little uneasy all of a sudden and she just backed down with her arms crossed and head turned away.

"Huh... saved by rats..." Winston suddenly spoke as he rubbed his wrists. Finally, Lola made her way to Ben and got him free faster than anyone else. Now, everyone was surrounding Madison and Rosaline. Rosaline hugged her mother tighter.

"You all got what you want! You're free! Now go!" Rosaline shouted at the whole group.

"Not until we find Issiah, I ain't leaving!" Ivan hissed to Rosaline and this caused Rosaline to perked up almost instantly.

"Wait... you're Ivan?" She asked in a small voice almost afraid now. She then pointed to Ben "Ben... right?"

Ben and Ivan looked at each other than at Rosaline. Ivan then tensed up, his jaw clenched and he tightened his fist in rage. Ivan wasn't playing anymore when he spoke "Okay... _where_ is Issiah?"

"Ground floor," Madison spoke slowly and Ivan blinked.

"Atticus throws you around a little and you just cave like that?" Sherri crossed her arms with a chuckle. "That's... almost not like you Madison. You never give up."

Madison gave a soft almost evil chuckle in return to Sherri's remark. She then pushed Rosaline off of her and stood up. "You think I've given up? You don't know me... My intention? Show the world that Mythical creatures do exist. Do you think you can save your precious dragon? Have at it... but you have to get past security, and the scientist -the ones that are left anyway- then do that all while not being caught by the countless reporters." Madison smiled as she suddenly got face to face with Ivan. "Your friend is right. I'm not James Marrs... I'm smarter." She whispered. "You're never getting your dragon back, Ivan." Madison just smiled and started to walk passed Ivan. "But tell you what, if you somehow do get Issiah without getting shot or killed? I'll leave you all alone. Come along Rosaline." Madison ordered as she walked with her hips swaying.

Rosaline stood up ready to follow her mother but suddenly Esmeralda grabbed Rosaline's arm pulling her back. "No... Don't go with her." Esmeralda practically begged in a whisper. "Please..."

"Rosaline, I'm not going to ask again-" Madison turned around with her hands on her hips. Once again Ben and Ivan shared a look and almost everyone took a step away from the siblings now. What happened now was up to Rosaline.

"Mama, what about Martin?"

"What about him?" Madison huffed and Ivan seemed to tense at this. Ben just put his hand on Ivan's shoulder. Esmeralda frowned a little. "I'm. not. going to. ask. again." Madison snapped her fingers.

"Rosaline, please..." Esmeralda whispered again as Rosaline tried to go to her mother. "She's not nice to you." Rosaline hesitated about this greatly.

"You know what? It's your funeral, Rosaline. I'll be in my room when you get your head on straight." Madison waved her hand in a dismissive matter and just like that she was gone.

* * *

Issiah was growing tired now. He's struggled for days upon days against these metal arms and he just couldn't fight it anymore he was just too tired. He tried to sleep- but the pain from losing so many scales and feeling all of these different emotions from these random people were making it so he just couldn't sleep. Issiah wanted nothing more than to light everyone in front of him on fire. The human's kept flashing their odd lights at him and talk about him as these were square things were shoved in his face. Issiah hated these people and wished them nothing more than death upon these humans. All he wanted was to see Ivan again but it seemed that was never going to happen. Not now.

"Look at that... _look at that!"_ Someone had yelled and pointed at him in excitement. Issiah lowered his head now unable to bring himself to so much as look at these humans. Everything felt so pointless. He was never going to get out of here and these people are going to kill him. That's how he was going to go out all because he missed Ivan.

Issiah then felt something under his remaining scales. An _itchy_ sensation it was enough for him to perk his head up all of a sudden. His ears flickered and his eyes widened this sensation was familiar and he just almost couldn't believe it. Then there was bright sunlight coming from behind him. He couldn't see what was behind him but he _knew._ He knew just who was behind him and the screaming of the people just made Issiah's scales itch even more. Sure enough, Firedrake was rolled right next to him. Issiah had a muzzle on over his mouth unable to speak directly to Firedrake, so it made him a little angry to see Firedrake without a muzzle. Firedrake looked at Issiah and showed sympathy. _'What happened to you won't pity me? Liar.'_ Issiah thought bitterly.

"Whoa... look at those scales..." More flashes and Issiah just wished that everything would end here and now.

* * *

Atticus pushed passed the multiple people trying to stop him. One scientist made an attempt to grab and stop him, a male, but Atticus was quick to give him a punch to the stomach. _'They aren't stopping me. Nobody is stopping me'_ Atticus snarled as he made his way up to the third floor. He wasn't going to lose another child. Not now, not ever again! "Atticus!" Zenith called behind him and for whatever reason- it was just a weird sensation that Atticus couldn't explain- he sped up keeping Zenith in the dust. Atticus made it to the third floor and there wasn't a soul in sight. "Good., Atticus growled in rage before snatching the nearby fire extinguisher.

Atticus's shoes made soft tapping noises against the metal grate of the floor. He walked over to the first door and peeked in through the window. He saw Lucy and then he saw red. Without even a second thought Atticus raised the fire extinguisher and smashed the glass like it was nothing. "You think they'd afford the shatter proof glass." Atticus shook his head and reached his hand through the window to unlock the door. He honestly didn't look around the room for too long. Not with his daughter being tied up right in front of him, but he was quick to note covered window behind his daughter.

"Dad!" Lucy cried out and perked up at Atticus.

It took Atticus a moment to find the lock on the other side and once he did he unlocked it and opened the door. Atticus almost tripped over himself trying to rush to Lucy he thankfully caught himself with his arms out and kept running up to her. Atticus didn't bother freeing her, he just hugged her. "It's okay! I'm here." Atticus breathed out softly and brought his hand up to her hair.

"Dad... I thought we were done for..." Lucy whimpered before resting her head on his neck. "Get me down, please. My arms really hurt." Atticus squeezed his eyes shut for a few moments before nodding suddenly.

"Of course... where's the key?" Atticus reached up and tugged on the bounds around her hands.

"I dunno…" a small scared whisper was his response. Atticus felt a presence behind him and spun around thinking it was Zenith but tensed when he was met with nothing. He stood up more fully and stayed tensed up. He wasn't a fool he knew someone was in here with him and Lucy.

"You're are all so cute-"

Atticus gasped and turned back around towards Lucy only to see nobody except for Lucy. It wasn't Lucy who spoke, not this voice belonged to a woman and sounded eerily similar. Atticus was starting to feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end his stomach twist uncomfortably however; He couldn't hear another heartbeat so he knew just damn well what was happening. "So, invisibility is your shtick? I haven't seen that in-" Atticus gave a nervous sounding chuckle "-ages." he finished.

"Only in the shadows can I be invisible." The voice, quite surprisingly, responded to Atticus and the more he heard that almost soothing voice the more he was sure he heard it somewhere before.

"You're not exactly a good hunter if you speak to your prey." Atticus kept on looking around in the shadows of the room. There were a lot of them seeing how the only part that didn't have a shadow was the light streaming in from the open door way.

"Who said I'm hunting?"

"You're not?"

Atticus focused all of his energy on all of his senses to try and get a location as to where this woman was. He then felt it was almost like a cool breeze on his neck and he didn't hesitate. He whirled around and snatched- and caught someone. Whoever this person didn't even fight back against him as Atticus just simply stepped into the light to see just who this 'Sabrina' was. Atticus had grabbed her by the front of her shirt, that was the first thing he saw anyways. He moved his gazed up to her head and immediately let go of her. She had a devilish grin on her face "I'm just wanted to see you again."

Atticus just couldn't believe it. He blinked multiple times to try and see if he was truly seeing this. _'This can not be happening.'_ He thought and finally just backed up with his hands up in front of him. He need conformation that his was who he though it was. As this was a woman he only saw once in whole eight hundred years of being on this earth. "Mom?"

"Well ,who else would it be? Your father?" The woman laughed at Atticus at that notion.

"You're still alive?" Atticus was just stunned. Obvious his mother was way older than him and she was still alive. He thought for sure that she had been dust almost six hundred years ago. He almost wanted to reach out and touch her, but he knew better than to do that. One wrong move and she'll make him dust.

"Well obviously."

"What are you doing here?"

"Working. I see no way in beating around the bush here- I did this. I'm the one who told Madison to take your children."

"Why?!"

"I wanted to see you." She vanished into the shadows for a moment. If Atticus's heart were still beating he was sure it would be going haywire right about now. His mother reappeared by Lucy's side and pinched her cheeks together. Lucy tried to shake Sabrina off but it did nothing. "She looks just like Vivian-"

"-You don't get to say that name!" Atticus snarled so loudly that his voice echoed around the silent room. "What do you _want!?_ I know you have other children, full-blooded ones! but you chose me specifically." Sabrina's smile dropped at Atticus and she let go of Lucy. The teen hissed at Sabrina but couldn't do anything more.

"Fine. Straight to the point, like your father." She intertwined her fingers and started to walk around Atticus now- raising his anxiety up with each step. That didn't stop him from making sure he was watching her every step of the way. "I brought you here because... you... you're an idiot." She laughed softly. "Such an idiot."

"You couldn't have come to Ireland to say that?"

"I'm dying."

"Oh, what a shame." There was no emotion in Atticus's voice when he said that. He honestly couldn't care less about his mother. "Cancer?"

She chuckled at this. "I was shot with a silver bullet some time ago and am unable to get it out. It's poisoning my blood." Atticus crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow at her wondering where she was going with this. "You know who my best friend is- or was?"

"No, and I don't care."

"I think you will care. Doesn't the name Celeste mean anything to you?"

Atticus's smile faded and he tensed once again. The hair on the back of his neck stood up in alarm as goosebumps rain all over his body. "I won't let you touch them." Atticus spoke slowly as he uncrossed his arms and got into a fighting stance with his fists raised. "If you think you can take any of their bodies-" Atticus couldn't stop her attack in time. Sabrina lunged at him knocking his hands out of the way with no effort she punched him in the face, knocking him back before grabbing him by his throat while his guard was down.

"Fuck..." Atticus gasped as Sabrina managed to raise him off of the ground. "I hate fighting full-bloods." Atticus tried to kick at her but Sabrina knew to keep her distance.

Sabrina tilted her head and chuckled a little. "Your siblings are too young for me, but you... you're a perfect specimen of health."

Only one word stood out in her whole sentence. "S-Siblings?" Atticus gasped out.

"Oh dear, I figured you had known by now... all four of you? You're half-siblings. I mean didn't you even so much as wonder as to why little Lucy looked like your Vivian? Or why they just seemed to flock to you for protection? why do I chose to have half-blooded children? I'm sure you're asking-" Sabrina suddenly released Atticus, it wasn't by her choice either. She quickly had to dodge an attack coming her way from an angry Zenith. "-You again! Yes... the traitor." She snarled at Zenith and stood up straight. "I had a figure you'd be here..."

Zenith leaned down and helped Atticus to his feet. "Siblings or not they're still my children!" Atticus hissed at Sabrina "And I don't give a damn if you're our mother. You can't have them! Or me for that matter! I didn't live this long to have my _mother_ try and take my body." Atticus spat out.

"Cute-" Sabrina smirked and just like that she vanished into the shadows. Zenith and Atticus both started to look around for her. Atticus made sure to keep an eye on Lucy just in case Sabrina might try something to her- but suddenly Zenith was yanked into the shadows. Zenith wasn't going down without a fight though. He kicked and punched all around him he mostly punched the air... Only he was being kicking and punched a lot by this invisible force.

 _'Why are you doing this the hard way? You know what you have to do...'_ The loud voice in Atticus's head told him to do as Atticus looked at the window. Hearing a 'thunk' made Atticus turn back to Zenith. He was pressed against the wall now by an invisible force. Still, Atticus couldn't do it, not yet. He rushed to Zenith- Zenith fell to the ground before Atticus got there and next thing Atticus knew he got a punch to the gut and went flying about at least ten feet. He slid on the ground into the artificial light from the hallway. Atticus laid there for a few seconds just feeling well... "Man, I'm tired." He spoke aloud before getting to his feet. "You call yourself brave?! Only a coward fights invisible!" Atticus tried to provoke her into the light. _'Smash the window. Kill her.'_

 _'But... she's still my mom.'_

 _'she's trying to kill you!'_

Atticus's sleeve was grabbed while he was currently having the mental battle and he tossed like a doll into the wall. This time it was him who was pinned to the wall. "Not so great when it you being choked against the wall. Is it?" Sabrina teased him while still invisible. Atticus felt her apply pressure to his throat and he grimaced. Goddamn for a tiny woman she was strong. For just a moment Atticus looked passed her and saw Zenith making his way towards the window. It seemed that great minds really do think alike. _'Distract! Distract before she sees him!'_ "Wa-Before you kill me..." Atticus croaked out finally listening to his inner voice. "Why half-bloods! All vampires want are full-bloods!"

Sabrina let out a chuckle but kept herself invisible "Because you're half human. Using my children as my vessels over the years is so much easier when you only have half a soul, plus they're way easier to take down. Celeste was a great teacher."

"Why me... why now?"

"Because my remaining children are too young-"

"-And the last of your children!" Atticus snarled violently and as if on que Zenith pulled the curtains back flooding the room with sunlight. This not only revealed Celeste to Atticus allowing him to kick her off of him, but this caused Celeste to start screaming like an absolute mad woman. Atticus reached over and grabbed her- stopping her from running out into the hallway.

 _"I've only see it happen once..."_ Atticus's own voice reflected back from all those years ago when Twigleg was human sized, and just has he remembered it... first, her flesh started to literally melt in his hands- to the point that he knew he no longer needed to hold on to her. He only backed away as low painful groans were now leaving her mouth- her own flesh dripping from her body leaving bloody puddles on the ground as her muscles an inners were now starting to become exposed to the sunlight. "At least I can stand the sunlight." Atticus couldn't help but brag to her. Sabrina stayed on her feet for a few more seconds before letting another painful scream and just like that _poof_ she was nothing more than dust leaving behind her clothes and something else that made a small clatter on the ground. Flicking the dust away from it Atticus grabbed the key off of the ground.

Atticus then made a bee-line for Lucy and quickly unlocked her bonds. Finally, the two got a proper hug together. _'She has questions.'_ Atticus knew right away. Questions he knew he needed to answer but he couldn't. Not now anyway. Instead, he put his finger on her lips before she could open her mouth. "I know... I know, Lucy. You have questions- hell, I have questions! But now is not the time to ask them. We have to focus on the others right now. Okay?" Lucy nodded weakly at Atticus. Atticus then moved his hands to her hair in an attempt to comfort her as he ran her fingers through her locks.

"I'm so hungry..."

"I know, and I know the humans look appetizing right now, just hold strong for a little while longer. Can you do that?"

Lucy nodded again.

"Good girl, now. Let's get the others and figure out what we're going to do from there."


	22. Chapter 22

Ben was at a loss. He stood there in that small with everyone else who seemed to be at a loss with him. Ben stood there just staring at the door while everyone else was right behind him. Ben didn't know what to do. He really didn't, but he knew that he had to do something. After a few moments of silence, Ben heard and felt Ivan come up next to him. "What are we going to do?" Ivan poked his head into Ben's view.

Ben shook his head for a few seconds only to suddenly feel a hand slip into his own. This caused him to blink and look over at Ivan. "What should we do?" Ben repeated Ivan's question. "I don't know."

Ivan paused for a moment and seemed to be thinking about it for a passing heartbeat and just gave a shrug in response. "You know..." Ivan pursed his lips and thought for another moment. "Hide in plain sight? We could?" Ivan spoke his sentence little backward but Ben caught the gist pretty quickly.

"Alright, Yoda... I think I get what you're saying... I mean it _could_ work, but how would we get to Issiah without being seen-"

"Guys!" It was Winston's yell followed by a soft 'thump' just behind them. Ben whipped his head around quickly to see Esmeralda on the ground with Winston trying to hold her up in his arms. "She just collapsed!" Winston gasped out towards the others.

"Oh no, not again!" Ben quickly let go of Ivan's hand and rushed over to Esmeralda and Winston. Sherri was already kneeling down next to the duo.

"Lay him down," Sherri instructed Winston to do. All the while Sherri helped push Esmeralda down to the ground.

"Her." Winston corrected but did as instructed. He allowed Esmeralda to rest her head in his lap while Sherri kept Esmeralda's head straight.

"Martin..." Rosaline frowned as she stood by watching. Ben skidded to the ground.

"What happened?" Ben ordered. Ivan wasn't as fast he just came waltzing on over with his hands in his pockets. He honestly didn't seem to care too much about all of this.

"She just started complaining about a headache-" Winston started to explain and Ben simply nodded cutting Winston's sentence off.

"-Say no more."

"What now?" Ivan inquired.

Ben didn't even hesitate his answer. "We wait."

* * *

"I think we're getting closer..." Twigleg breathed out uneasily- the ventilation was starting to grow hot and making him sweat and uncomfortable. It wasn't because of the heat that made Twigleg say that they were getting closer. It was the overwhelming amount of chattering, cheers, and questions being yelled at that told Twigleg that they were getting near Issiah.

Rosa held on to Twigleg's hand tightly and trailed behind quietly. For a few moments, there was nothing between them and they just walked and walked. _'It's starting to feel like an oven in here!'_ Twigleg almost gasped out loud at the heat. Twigleg had to stop for a moment. This caused Rosa to watch him. Twigleg just started to fan himself pitifully. "Just give me a moment." He spoke to Rosa making sure to enunciate his words.

"I feel gross!" Rosa yelled loudly to Twigleg- her voice echoed around the metal vent.

Twigleg wiped his brow "It's sweat... you never sweated before? Didn't you live in an abandoned school that had no AC?"

"Sweat?!"

Twigleg signed the word 'sweat' to her and then she nodded.

"Oh! no, I never felt this way before."

Twigleg might have thought more upon that for longer if he wasn't so miserable and hot. "We need to find a way out of here." He signed to her. He started to fan himself again. He then looked forward in hopes of finding a vent or a light- anything to indicate that they were getting close to fresh cool air but he saw nothing. The problem was that there was no way out going back. They had no choice but to go forward. "Come on, standing around is only going to get us roasted alive." Twigleg grabbed a hold of Rosa's hand and started to lead her forward.

For a good while walking forward there wasn't really a lot said between them. (Nothing at all really) until finally Rosa broke the silence with a startled gasp and let go of Twigleg's hand. Twigleg swiveled around to face her. She had her hands pressed firmly against her forehead, her feet went inwards (Like she suddenly went pigeon-toed), her knees knocked together, and small little scared whimpers started to leave her mouth. "My head hurts..." she whispered pitifully to Twigleg.

"No, no, not now, please." Twigleg practically begged but it (literally) fell on deaf ears and out of the blue Rosa then collapsed. "No!" Twigleg squeaked and tried to catch her before she fell but he wasn't fast enough. He picked Rosa up and let her head rest in his lap. "Please go by fast."

Agonizing minutes passed by and Rosa still stayed passed out. Eventually, Twigleg just couldn't take it any longer. He used his strength to hold her up into his arms and started off forward. Hopefully, there would be an escape just up ahead.

* * *

Jason and Lucy clung to Zenith like he was their lifeline- and truthfully he was just happy to have them by his side again. Zenith kept his arms wrapped around both of them. Teenagers or not they accepted his protection. Together all three of them stood outside of the room Sofi was currently in.

Atticus was standing outside the room with them of course. He was closer to the door looking inside the window on the door. One arm across his abdomen with his other arm resting up top as he chewed on the edge of his thumbnail. Zenith knew exactly what he was doing. He was debating. Finally, Atticus brought his other hand down and sighed out loudly. "Zenith, take Lucy and Jason to the others. Let me deal with Sofi-"

"-Don't be ridiculous-" Zenith instantly tried to argue but he was cut off.

"This isn't a debate. This is incredibly dangerous. Sofi is feral and hungry she will try and attack anybody that comes through that door. Let me deal with her, I know more than you on this subject and I can probably subdue her."

"Atticus-"

"Please. Just go. Take Lucy and Jason to the others. Please." Atticus almost pleaded with him. Zenith's mouth twitched a little like he was going to fight some more, but he didn't fight. Zenith relaxed and let out a soft sigh. He then reached up and touched the side of Atticus's face. Atticus leaned into the touch.

"If you're sure."

"Positive." Atticus then grabbed Zenith's hand and kissed the back of it.

"Gross." Jason was the one to comment causing both Zenith and Atticus to look at him. Atticus just chuckled and ruffled Jason's already messy hair.

"Be safe, all of you."

Lucy suddenly broke away from Zenith and hugged Atticus tightly. "Come back in one piece, Dadicus." She whispered into Atticus's ear. It honestly it sent an uncomfortable tingle down Atticus's spine as the hairs on his arm stood up.

 _'They're your siblings.'_ his mother's voice resounded in his head, and honestly, the more Atticus thought about it the more it scared him. Full-bloods don't age. That being said with honestly how young his mother actually seemed to look and how experienced she was with soul swapping this told Atticus that the woman he was seeing was, in fact, another one of his siblings, someone older than him? Possibly and that both scared and sparked his curiosity. How many more siblings did he have? Still, a small, tiny, almost invisibly voice in his head spoke up: _'She doesn't care that you're her brother."_

"I'm sure I will." He reassured Lucy and carefully pushed her back. "Now, to you two. I know you're both probably starving and I feel like I need to say this. _Do not_ _eat_ _Lola and her family._ Am I clear?" He looked at both Jason and Lucy and they nodded. "Good. Now go."

Zenith gave Atticus a soft look. He then wrapped his arms around Lucy and Jason again and nodded towards Atticus. "Stay safe." Zenith and they then took off, all of them looking back at Atticus at some point before eventually vanishing down the hallway. This left Atticus alone. He looked at the door that held Sofi and grasped the door handle tightly with his hand and simply opened it like it was nothing.

It almost felt like he stepped into a different dimension.

The whole room was bitterly dark, no sunlight, no window, nothing just a darkened room. It was also quiet- so quiet that it made Atticus realize that out in the hallway there was a low buzzing that was not in this room. _'The buzzing was the lights.'_ Atticus didn't speculate, he knew. The room was so quiet that it made Atticus clench his fists. Atticus honestly wanted nothing more than to call out Sofi's name. He wanted to see her rush at him with her hands outstretched wanting one of his big bearhugs. Still, Atticus wasn't stupid. Calling Sofi's name would no doubt end in Sofi rushing at him fully ready to try and bite his throat out. The last thing Atticus wanted was to hurt her.

So, all he could do was just stand there for several seconds and not make a noise. He wanted to find her before she found him. Atticus let his eyes drift over the darkness in hopes of finding Sofi huddled up somewhere. He saw nothing. This made him step farther into the room to try and find her. Atticus's eyes scanned again and he just couldn't find her. Atticus strained his ears to try and pick up the tiniest sound to try and find her. So, he stepped farther into the room to the point that he could no longer hold the door and it silently shut behind him only leaving a tiny bit of light left from the window. This made it even harder for Atticus to see and made him warry. He took more cautious steps inside and wondered if Sofi had escaped. Atticus passed by a table, he then felt something crack under his foot. He looked down and saw the remains of, what was obviously a syringe. That made Atticus squat down and take a closer look at what was once on the table.

He picked up a small clear bottle that was laying just a little ways away from the syringe. Atticus knew an injection bottle when he saw one. He held it up to his eyes to see what kind of medicine it was. _Diazepam._

Atticus tried to wrap his brain around the word. He knew it did something, obviously, but at the moment he just couldn't think of what it did. So many medications in over eight hundred years it was hard for him to keep track of it all. Still, if Atticus had to guess, given that neither Jason nor Lucy had medication in their rooms, it had to be a type of sedative- and that right there gave Atticus an idea. He hoped his hunch was right as he squatted back down to look for an unbroken syringe. He was crawling on his hands and knees to try and find one, and he did find one!

Right next to Sofi's sleeping body. His poor child laid curled up in the fetal position on the ground. Atticus could see that her clothes, the same ones she was taken in, were dirty and torn, she was missing her left shoe, and just all around looked miserable. Atticus wanted nothing more than to scoop her up into his arms and hug her. He also knew that he had to be quiet and careful. He could see that even though she was clearly dead she was breathing. So, yes, she had indeed turned. Quietly he reached over to where the syringe laid on the ground and cautiously tried to grab it with arousing her from her sleep. If all goes well then he could just drug her and easily figure out what to do from there. Atticus brought the syringe up to the Diazepam and took his eyes off of Sofi to quickly fill it up. He then brought the syringe up, tapped it twice with his finger to push the air bubbles up and pushed the plunger up just to get rid of the air bubbles. Once it was all clear of air bubbles Atticus quietly kneeled down before Sofi.

And for the first time in a long time, everything seemed to go simple for once. It seemed that Sofi was either so famished or so tired that she didn't feel Atticus move her hair back away from her neck. She did feel him stick the needle into her neck and stirred from her sleep. She didn't immediately go for an attack either. She just looked sleepily at him and laid back down She muttered a soft "Hungry..." At him, she then rested her head in his lap and went back to sleep.

Atticus knew damn well he got lucky. If she would have been fed she probably would have been awake and tried to bite him, but for now, she was weak and starving. Meaning when this is all said and done he was going to have to restrain her and feed her before she wakes again, but for now, he was just going to pick her up into his arms. "Don't worry, I'm here now. Dadicus is here." He whispered to Sofi.

* * *

Zenith raced inside of the room where everyone else still stayed. It seemed to be their safe room and he was pretty surprised that nobody stopped him or had tried to stop any of them from getting free. He was even more surprised to see everyone still inside the room. He figured at least Ben and Ivan would be gone to go and save Issiah, but here they stayed. It seemed that something happened because almost everyone, say for Ivan and Mrs. Newlands. Ivan turned around and his gaze softened as he looked at the teens that were huddled next to Zenith for protection.

"We're missing two," Ivan observed and walked over to the trio.

"Atticus decided to deal with Sofi on his own... you will not believe who we ran into by the way." Zenith couldn't help but grin a little.

"I bet it was the Vampire, Sabrina, right?" Rosaline asked from her spot on the floor.

Lucy suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I didn't like her, even before the whole... situation. She was just weird. I think if Dadicus or you weren't going to show up she was going to use me."

"Use you?" Ben questioned most uneasy by what she was implying.

Zenith honestly had to think for a second before answering Ben. "It's kind of complicated... remember what Celeste tried to do to you?"

"Take my body?"

"Uh-huh. Sabrina wanted to do that but to Atticus."

Ben seemed to pale a little at that before he shivered. "Well, obviously you got rid of her. That's good." He then looked at Lucy and Jason with a sad smile. "I know you guys must be starving, but can you hold on just a little while longer? I promise once we get far away from here we'll let you guys hunt." Ben told them both softly. That was when Esmeralda suddenly and slowly stirred awake. This made Ben look back at her.

"What happened with her, anyway?" Zenith asked Ben and felt the need to get closer to the transwoman. Esmeralda slowly sat up and grabbed her head and it was clear she was still in pain. Winston carefully touched Esmeralda's shoulders to try and comfort her.

"Fainted. She must have had a vision-" Ben explained to Zenith but then Esmeralda spoke- her voice tired and raspy.

"-I did..." She whispered.

"Right, you did mention this earlier didn't you?" Zenith walked away from Jason and Lucy and crouched down so he was face to face with Esmeralda. For a moment the two of them just stared at each other in the eyes. Zenith then gently grabbed Esmeralda's chin and tilted her head up just a little bit. Winston seems to tense at this but didn't say anything against it. "You read something... didn't you?" Zenith's head tilted a little as he just seemed to bore his gaze into her eyes. "Yes... that might be it. Headaches? Fainting spells? You're still in the early stages of premonition- or as some people call it, being clairvoyant." Zenith let go of Esmeralda's face and stood up. "So, what did you read?"

"What do you mean?" Esmeralda rested her head against Winston's shoulders.

"Well, judging by what you're currently going through this started happening... a month? two months ago? Clearly, you weren't born with this ability if this is the case." Zenith explained to her. "So, that means you must have read something you shouldn't have to give you this ability. What did you read?"

Esmeralda didn't answer right away she just placed her hand on top of Winston's hand and sighed out loud. "A book. I found it in the back of mom's closet almost four months ago... I think? It was the same book I used to make Rosa."

"Make me?" Rosaline sounded confused by this.

"No, not you. Rosa the homunculus." Ben told Rosaline softly. This caused Rosaline's eyebrows to knit up in confusion.

"You... made a creature, Martin? and you named her... after me?"

"Well, yeah. I thought you were dead... " Esmeralda whispered to Rosaline. Ben almost thought Rosaline was gonna cry. Honestly, this made Ben just feel worried for Twigleg and Rosa and he hoped they were okay.

"Back to what I was getting at-" Zenith brought the attention back to himself. "-What I'm trying to say, with it still being in the early stage I could probably reverse this, you know?" In an instant, Esmeralda grabbed his hands.

"Please! I can't take it-"

"Okay, calm down..." Zenith lightly pushed her back. "If you still have the book it's almost completely reversible."

Esmeralda's lips twitched. "I left it at the school..." She whispered completely forlorn in a second. Ben heard Ivan sigh out loud and braced himself for some familiar snark to leave Ivan's mouth- but he got a bit of a surprise when Ivan did actually speak.

"I mean...No... no, it's not." Ivan ran his fingers through his hair awkwardly.

"Yes it-" Esmeralda tried to refute.

"I stole it." Ben felt his jaw drop at Ivan's confession. He didn't know of this. "Yeah, I saw it in your locker. You went to the bathroom and Ben was on the phone. I noticed the book and thought it looked old and might be worth something so... I stole it. It's still in my backpack that I'm sure your crazy mom has somewhere around here."

"Ivan, this is serious. Did you read it?" Zenith asked him. "Because this book sounds dangerous."

"No, I didn't read it. I actually forgot it was in my bag. Good thing I didn't throw it out with my food? Heh?" Ivan gave a very awkward chuckle with his joke. He looked for a reaction from everyone else. Ben just shook his head bitterly at Ivan.

"And now I am immediately apologizing for him. I'm sorry about this, but this is good in some way. We just have to grab his bag. By the way. Esmeralda, what did you see- if you don't mind me asking that is- or did you see anything at all? Did you feel something?"

Esmeralda's eyebrow knitted up once again and a big frown tugged on her lips as she then grabbed at the hem of her skirt nervously. "All I saw was... Fire. I didn't feel anything. I just saw... Fire. Only it was... blue and orange. It was almost like they were fighting."

Instantly Ben, Ivan, and Zenith all looked at each other before looking back at Esmeralda. Esmeralda swallowed hard.

"What do you know?" Sherri asked them once she caught on to their looks of concern. "Firedrake has a blue fire-" Ivan started almost nervously.

"- and Issiah has orange fire." Ben finished. "Are they fighting? or working together?" Ben wanted to know.

"... They already fought once..." Rosaline whimpered. "But Firedrake left Issiah after the fight ended. So why would they be fighting again?"

Ben tensed instantly. "What do you mean? They already fought once? Firedrake would almost never attack another dragon-"

Rosaline started to rub her shoulders nervously before crying softly. "I made them fight. I did this, I did all of this! I'm so sorry..." She whimpered pitifully to the two of them. "Issiah trusted me, I don't know why but he did! Sorrel found out I was taking them somewhere away from you guys and caused a bit fight between them! Oh god, I thought Firedrake was going to kill Issiah-"

"My dragon is locked up because of _you_?!" Ivan quickly went stomping over to Rosaline- and Ben grabbed Ivan by his arm completely stopping him from making a grab for her. It wasn't just Ben, quickly Zenith stepped between the two of them.

"Ivan. You know this isn't all her fault. I think you out of everyone knows how it's like to be manipulated into doing a parent's bidding." Zenith quickly talked some sense into Ivan before Ben could. Zenith then placed both of his hands on Ivan's shoulders. "Look at her, man and really think about it. I think if she would have had her way none of this would be happening right now."

"Well, why didn't you just stay with them, then? Why go running back to Mommy dearest!?" Ivan demanded to Rosaline. "If you really didn't want this to happen then you wouldn't have come back-"

"Ivan, dude... obviously she loves her mom. You can't be too mad at her for this." Ben walked up next to Ivan and held his hand carefully. "I get you're upset, I understand that, but you need to see that Rosaline isn't really to blame here. Don't take your anger out on her." Ben whispered to Ivan. "Look at her... that bruise on her face? C' mon man... how many times did you listen to your dad so he wouldn't beat you?" Ben made sure to whisper even quieter at his last question so Sherri couldn't hear. Ivan looked at Ben, who simply gave him a 'c' mon.' look. "Besides don't forget. She is your sister, mate." Ben spoke that a little louder with a smile on his face. Ivan rolled his eyes at that but did seem to visibly relax.

"Right. Heh... I wonder if that's why Issiah took a liking to you then."

"What do you mean?" Rosaline sacredly questioned and clenched the hem of her dirty dress.

Ivan looked at her with a bit of a smug look. "What I mean is that we have the same eyes. I wonder if he saw a bit of me in you and took it upon himself to protect you at all costs as he did me."


	23. Chapter 23

Rosa eventually woke up, much to Twigleg's delight. "Are you alright?" He signed to her carefully. As he set her down on the ground. This was a big weight off of his shoulders (literally). She honestly couldn't have woken up at a greater time as he was only a few feet away from an open vent- which was bringing in some cooler air.

" 'm fine." She answered verbally responded to him. She didn't really make an attempt to move and that made Twigleg a little worried.

"You sure?" He signed once again. Rosa nodded sleepily and rested her head against the wall behind her.

"Just tired."

If they weren't so close to a vent Twigleg might have urged her to her feet, but as for now he simply rested right next to her and he waited. Rosa then rested her head on Twigleg's shoulder. "I just want to be with my Mistress again..."

"I know, but you're being very brave and I'm sure we'll reunite before too long, okay?" Twigleg spoke to her, making sure she could read his lips. Rosa nodded, at first weakly, before nodding a little more stronger and standing up.

"Yes, let's go!" She exclaimed suddenly feeling much better. She jumped to her feet and urged Twigleg to do the same. So, he got up and together they walked over towards the vent and peeked down into the vent. Twigleg just couldn't believe what he was seeing below him.

Rosa and he were above Issiah. Directly above him- and Firedrake too!

Twigleg felt a flush of excitement. He almost couldn't believe their luck! He was looking up top Issiah and he could see the locks that were currently holding him in place. "Oh, he looks like he's in pain..." Rosa instantly sympathized with Issiah and Twigleg couldn't agree more. The poor dragon seemed to missing over half of his scales and was surrounded by bright lights. The poor dragon just looked completely miserable. And as he looked at the locks that were fitted around the dragon and after a few moments, Twigleg knew what needed to be done.

"Rosa, can you unlock things?" Twigleg signed to her carefully.

Rosa thought about it for a couple of seconds before signing back. "Unlock?"

"Like stick your hand- or yourself if the lock is big enough- and open it that way?" Twigleg asked her.

Rosa simply shook her head 'no' and Twigleg frowned a little but nodded nonetheless. "Okay, no problem... let me think..." Twigleg went back to looking down the vent. He could see Issiah shifting and trying to wiggle out of his bonds, low angered growls leaving his mouth like a vicious cornered animal. Twigleg looked around the best he could, he could see Firedrake beside Issiah, he wasn't moving as much and he seemed to be a little calmer than Issiah right now. Twigleg could see a computer behind the two dragons, easily reachable. Twigleg counted the locks on Issiah and he knew for a fact that that computer freed the metal around Issiah's muzzle. "Rosa-" He caught her attention. "-Do you think you could unplug that computer over there?"

Rosa looked at the computer and then nodded eagerly at Twigleg. "Save the dragon?"

"Save the dragon." He repeated to her with a smile. "I'm going to slip down first... Issiah isn't that far down try and land on his back."

* * *

Without his scales, Issiah was feeling... cold. He hated the feeling and hoped his scales would grow back fast. He felt sensitive and just all around exposed and he hated it. He hated everything right now! He wanted nothing more than to watch these people _burn._ To tear pieces of their skin off of their bodies and see how they like it! Yes, in these past days his heart was starting to fill with more anger and hatred than he thought imaginable. All he wanted to do was be with Ivan and he couldn't even have that. His mind would constantly flashback to Ben- the way Ben had touched his face before they left, but that was fine. Ivan told him. Ivan confirmed that when it came down to it Ivan would choose him over Ben. Issiah was sure that Ivan had left Ben in the dust by now to try and find him and then they could travel together. Just the two of them.

Issiah suddenly perked his ears up. Something had just landed on his back. At first, he had wondered if it was a spider, but spiders had eight legs and Issiah only felt two. It made it's way quickly up to his back and to his ear. "Issiah."

It was the little Manikin that stuck to Ben side. "Don't worry, we're going to work on getting you and Firedrake out of here. Don't worry, Ivan is here as well."

Issiah felt a hot fire ignite in his belly. Soon these people would know his wrath. He honestly had no plans on leaving any survivors and if Firedrake didn't like that then Issiah didn't care.

* * *

Atticus had returned to the group with a sleeping Sofi in his arms before too long. "Great, you're back." Ben almost seemed breathless when Atticus had returned. "We have an idea."

"Oh? What does it involve?" Atticus asked with a small smile.

"Look..." Ben grabbed Atticus and pulled him away from the others so they had a bit more privacy. "This might not sound too exciting to you, but we don't need everyone right now. I won't lie to you they'll get in the way. I think Ivan and I could get to Issiah just fine on our own. Do you think you could get everyone out of here and to a safer place?"

"Where would we go? We didn't see a thing outside of this university. We don't know if there's a forest or a city out there waiting for us." Atticus explained to Ben. "Also, no, fuck that. Ben the last time you and Ivan saved a dragon by yourselves you got seriously burnt. I know what you want to do. You want to make sure nobody gets hurt, and I get that, but there are more of us now. Much more-" Atticus shifted Sofi and placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. "-Let us help."

"..." Ben put his hand in his pant pocket and thought for a few heartbeats before nodding as another idea hit him. "Okay then... do you think the hunters are still around?"

"Most likely, why?"

"How do you feel about some revenge and some grand theft auto?"

"Oh. Tempting."

* * *

 _"Why are you even bringing that?" Ivan had questioned Ben as he was currently trying to shove the cloak into his pack the best he could. Ivan was already packed and sitting on Ben's bed just watching him._

 _"Because last time I didn't bring this bloody thing I lost an arm!" Ben huffed as he continued to squash the cloak into his bag. "Who knows when we'll need a fireproof cloak?"_

 _"We're just going to see a lawyer." Ivan couldn't help but laugh at Ben. "But if it makes you feel safer then I won't mind."_

"Ivan," Ben quickly walked up to Ivan after he was done with Atticus. Hell, Atticus was already gone- handed Sofi off to Zenith. "We need our bags back. I don't know why but something is seriously telling me I need the cloak before we go and save Issiah."

"I think Esmeralda has gotten you all paranoid... c'mon Ben, what do you think Issiah is going to attack you?" Ivan asked with a bit of a chuckle leaving his mouth.

"If Esmeralda truly did see fire, I feel like I would be a lot safer-" Ben paused for a second and started to fix Ivan's shirt that had become crooked. "- safer with the fireproof cloak around mine or your shoulders- wouldn't you feel the same?" Ben finished fixing Ivan's shirt.

"Yeah, I guess... besides we need that book back for Esmeralda anyway." Ivan smiled softly. "But can I ask why me?"

"Because stealing things is your specialty." Ben grinned and Ivan just wrapped his arms around Ben's waist pulling him closer.

"You just got me all sorts of figured out, don't you?" Ivan teased but in a flirty voice. Ben felt his face flush and heat up before placing his hand on Ivan's chest.

Ben chuckled a little nervously at how close they currently were, yeah they just decided to be in a relationship but that didn't mean Ben was exactly ready to 'flaunt it' -so to speak-just yet. Besides Ivan is Ben's first relationship... ever! So, Ben quick put his hand on Ivan's mouth before he could go in for a kiss. "Later, tiger. When everything is said and done." Ben whispered to him before taking his hand away from Ivan's mouth.

"Not even a kiss for good luck?"

Damn those green eyes. "Fine." Ben gave in and they shared a quick peck of a kiss. Feeling eyes on him, Ben turned his head to see everyone looking at them. "Can I help you guys?" He asked them. They all quick dispersed.

"Okay-" Ivan let go of him, and Ben would be lying if he said he didn't miss the warmth Ivan had given him in those few seconds. He got ready to go and Ben quickly had a lightbulb go off in his head.

"Wait-" Ivan spun around at Ben's call. "I think Rosaline might be able to help you in this," Ben explained to him. Ivan looked over at Rosaline, who was talking to Winston and Esmeralda and then looked back at Ben. Ben looked back at Ivan for a few seconds all they did was just awkwardly stare at one another before Ben spoke again. "Just talk to her. I'm not asking you to take her with you. She just might know where our stuff is."

Ivan didn't exactly relish in the idea of talking to his newly found out half-sister, but he knew that Ben was actually right in this situation. If anyone knew where their stuff was it would be her. So, Ivan made his way over towards Rosaline. Rosaline visibly tensed as Ivan approached. She had obvious reasons to be afraid of her so Ivan made himself as non-threatening to her as he could be. He brought his hands up cautiously and made sure to stay back away from her. "I just need to ask a question." Rosaline started to wring the hem of her dress a little nervously but allowed Ivan to ask away. "Your mother, and the hunters took our bags. Do you know where they could be?"

Rosaline seemed to think about it for a few moments. "I think Mama took your bag up to her room... I'm not sure about the bag the hunters had." Rosaline explained to Ivan.

"Where is her room?"

Rosaline brought her hand up to her mouth and started to pick at the skin on her lip. "Upstairs... fourth floor."

"Is there anything I need to know before I go there? Like... does she have a gun?"

"Oh, no, never. Mama hates guns! You know that's the only reason she hired those hunters? Is because they don't use guns."

"Oh great, well at least she has her morals." Ivan just couldn't stop his jab from leaving his mouth, and clearly, Rosaline caught on quickly to it and gave a frown at him. And... Ivan would be lying if he said that he didn't feel a little bad about it. She had some really good puppy eyes. Ivan groaned a little and even rolled his eyes but then quickly dragged his hand down his face. "Look-" He brought his hands up. "I make jabs and jokes- okay? But... I get it. Okay, I do. My dad- fucking crazy! Bat-shit! but he had his own morals too."

"... I never even met him..."

"Consider yourself lucky."

The two of them both gave awkward chuckles and Rosaline started to move her hips from side to side so her dress would sway with the movement. "What were they? His morals? What did he strongly disagree with?"

Ivan let out a bit of a loud laugh. "Funny enough, he hated drug usage. I mean I get it. I do, being addicted to drugs is... not a path I ever want to go down, but for him the man that would use hard drugs to knock people out and to use against various creatures- just seems a little odd to often hear him rant at the dinner table about how much he hates drug users."

"You got to eat with him?"

"Every goddamn night!"

It was a nice little moment between the two of them that kind of put Ivan a little at ease around her. "Anyways... fourth floor?"

Rosaline nodded and Ivan turned his heel and went off on his way.

* * *

Ben impatiently started to pace the floor. Neither Ivan nor Atticus had returned he was starting to get nervous. He had started to wonder if maybe he should have gone with Ivan- or maybe had someone else go with Ivan. Zenith would have been a good choice, but what if Sofi would have woken? Attacked them? No, it would be best that an adult vampire was here with them. Esmeralda, was a no go either, what if they would have run into Madison? Ben? Well obviously he knew he was the best choice to go with Ivan... but then what if something would have happened to the both of them? That would leave their little group surrounded! The idea of anybody getting hurt because of negligence made Ben's skin crawl.

"¿Algo está mal?" Sherri suddenly came up from behind Ben and placed a hand on his shoulder carefully.

"I'm sorry?" Ben asked her as, shamefully, he didn't really know Spanish. He knew a little French and was almost fluent in German but he didn't know Spanish.

"What's the matter?" She asked him.

"It's just that Ivan and Atticus haven't come back yet. I'm getting worried." He explained to her softly with a sigh leaving his mouth. "I just hope they're all-"

Before Ben could finish his sentence the door opened and in came Ivan sporting both of their bags with a messy Atticus in tow.

Atticus's hair was now out of his iconic ponytail and a completely unkempt. His shirt was torn at the right sleeve giving him a more grungy look. Atticus didn't seem to mind at his new look. As they got closer Ben could see that Atticus was also sporting a new cut on his right cheek. It was a straight cut that told Ben that this was made by a knife. It wasn't bleeding, but he did have some blood pooled around his shirt "Are you okay?" Ben quickly jogged up to the duo.

Atticus rubbed under his nose before giving a big smug smirk. "Me? Please, I'm fine." Atticus blew it off like it was nothing.

"The hunters?-"

"All taken care of."

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Ivan half-joked and walked up to Ben and placed his bag down on the ground. "Madison wasn't in her room so grabbing our stuff was a breeze. She just left them propped against the nearest wall." he shrugged at Ben.

"And you didn't think that this wasn't an ambush?!" Ben demanded almost shocked at what Ivan had just said.

"Nope, and it wasn't. See, I'm fine." Ivan grinned devilishly at Ben before going through his bag. "Hey! I have some food if anyone is hungry!" Ivan caught everyone's attention. Rosaline, Esmeralda, Winston, and Sherri quickly came up to claim some of the junk food Ivan had stolen earlier on in the week. Ben was still a little upset at his lackadaisical approach, but Ben knew it wouldn't do much to fight with Ivan on it. So, While he was passing out food, and Atticus was currently talking to his own family. Sofi still out cold. Ben broke his gaze away from the group and then started to riffle around his back. Ben pulled out his own stolen food and when he saw Winston eyeing his can of 'corned beef hash' that had rolled on to the floor he didn't even hesitate to push it over towards Winston who picked it up off of the floor.

"You don't want it?" Winston questioned Ben.

"Not hungry, plus... I'm thinking of going vegan."

"Oh?" Winston urged.

Ben just chuckled and looked back over towards Atticus and his family. Ben didn't know how, but they had found a mouse by its tail (Ben made _sure_ it was a mouse) and Atticus was carefully trying to feed the two awake ones with such a small creature. Ben had to look away before Atticus snapped the little creature's neck. "If you're best friends with a literal blood hungry creature you might want to consider to go vegan." Ben laughed a little causing Winston to chuckle a little in return.

"Yes! They didn't take it." Ben cheered loudly as he pulled out his cloak. Winston let out a soft 'oh' at the sight of the cloak. Winston slyly reached over and touched it. Ben felt for Winston as he didn't have a middle finger on his right hand. (It didn't take a genius to see why he might be missing that particular finger.)

"What fabric is that?" Winston softly asked Ben in confusion. "I've never felt anything like it."

"Uh... You know... I don't know." Ben realized that he never truly knew what the cloak was made of. It was soft to the touch and flowed freely. Ben only knew that it wasn't leather.

"My mom designs and makes dresses... I've felt all kinds of fabrics, but like I said... I've never felt anything like this before. I just can't put my finger on what it could possibly be." Winston told Ben.

"Oh..." Ben didn't know what to say to that instead he just unclasped the cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders. As he was currently clasping the cloak at the dragon's head- when Winston suddenly let out another soft 'oh!' and suddenly touched the silver dragon's head on the cloak in awe.

"That's... that's gotta be like pure silver!"

A breathy chuckle left Ben's mouth at Winston ad he looked amazed at Ben's cloak. However before Ben could respond to Winston a loud echoing roar ran through the whole room. It was so loud that Ben tried to cover his ears (little hard to do one hand.) and actually dropped to his knees as the floor started to shake. He could hear the others cry out in shock. Then as soon as it came it stopped. Ben did a quick look around everyone else just looked as scared and wide-eyed as he did, he was sure. Then at the same time, Ben and Ivan looked at one another and just stared at each other for a few seconds before jumping to their feet.

There was no more time for talking to others. They were both ready to book it down to where Issiah was being held it didn't help that only minutes after his earth-shattering roar the fire alarm came on completely startling everyone in that room- it also didn't help that the sprinkler system suddenly activated.

"¡Dios mío!" Sherri exclaimed in surprise as the cold water started to fall on them.

"Atticus-" Ben rushed over to his friend. "It's time... look, if you don't want to go with us because of the fire-" Ben tried his hardest to change Atticus's mind, but it fell on deaf ears.

"No. We're helping, Issiah... I lost Kuriana, I don't want Ivan to go through the same thing I did... even if he is a dick."

"... Benjamin..." Rosaline snuck up behind Ben, almost startling him when she spoke up. He turned around and just looked at her in the eyes without responding. Rosaline looked nervously as she scooped her hair over her shoulder and started to twist it nervously. That alone reminded Ben of Guinevere and her own nervous habits. "I want to help... I want to redeem myself and hope that Issiah might... forgive me. Not that I deserve his forgiveness." She whispered that last part but it was still very audible.

Ben just looked at her for a few more seconds before placing his hand on her shoulder. "Of course you can help us. Besides we're probably going to need all the help we can get."

* * *

Firedrake could see the wheels in Issiah's head turning as an idea was starting to form into the dragon's mind. He felt upset at Twigleg for immediately aiding Issiah, of course, Firedrake couldn't blame Twigleg for doing what he was doing, but he was just upset if Twigleg knew what Issiah had said about Benjamin or the things he's done leading up to this point... It was just frustrating for Firedrake to watch. Firedrake's own scales started to itch no human had gone near him but judging by the burnt smell in the area he had a feeling they were just going to observe him for now.

Firedrake didn't have his mouth covered like Issiah's (Thank goodness, he didn't want to go through that again!) but he knew better than to alert the humans of Twigleg's presence- Twigleg meant Ben was near. Firedrake made sure not to stare at Twigleg for too long either for fear the other humans might see the little Manikin. So he would periodically look at Twigleg to see him moving from lock to lock. Firedrake could feel a strange feeling of dread swell up in his belly. Something told him that freeing Issiah might not be a good idea. Issiah was violent. Anyone could see that.

One by one Twigleg managed to get the locks undone. The more Issiah was becoming free the more uneasy Firedrake was feeling. He wanted to stop this, he should have stopped this First around Issiah's front legs, then the two on the back. Nobody noticed and Issiah didn't make a single move to reveal this either. Firedrake was almost impressed. Issiah was acting like a predator waiting to strike his prey... and that's what made Firedrake realize why the feeling of dread was pooling around his stomach- Issiah was going to attack these humans. He couldn't stay quiet any longer! Yeah t

"Wait-!" Firedrake tried to yell out to Twigleg but it was too late- something happened and Issiah's mouth was freed with a might roar leaving his mouth Issiah alone made the walls shake with the sheer power of his voice. It was so loud and so powerful that several of the humans scrambled to get to safety, however; most humans were obviously still fascinated with Issiah not only stayed still while he roared but proceeded to keep their machine's pointed at him. (Firedrake was told they were called cameras?) All while this happened Firedrake felt his own bonds give away and no longer restrain him.

Issiah suddenly gave a violent shake sending Twigleg flying off of him. Firedrake let out a soft gasp as he watched the manikin go soaring off towards a nearby wall. Firedrake couldn't move, he could hardly speak, he just stared at Issiah and realized something sad... Issiah's anger had completely consumed him by this point and there may be no turning back for him. Firedrake should have tried to make an attempt to stop Issiah before it was too late but he waited too long to try and get out of his own bonds and Issiah unleashed hell.

Issiah raised his head all the way to the ceiling and spat out red hot angry flames from his gall. The flames licked at the ceiling causing it to instantly turn black- it also allowed a loud alarm to ring throughout the whole building and for the rain to suddenly fall on the inside. _'How did they do this?'_ Firedrake thought as the indoor rain tried its best to squash the flames that were now expanding. The humans were now realizing that this wasn't a laughing matter and quickly dropped their machines rushing towards the doors. Firedrake saw Issiah looking at them with a blood hungry look.

Firedrake realized that Issiah was clearly going to go in for another attack on the humans- and Firedrake wasn't having any of it. It didn't take much for Firedrake to break out of his loosened bonds and once free he barreled towards Issiah before he could incinerate the poor humans. Firedrake then rammed Issiah with all of his weight. This threw Issiah off balance just enough to allow the humans to flee for their safety. Issiah turned quickly and snapped at Firedrake's left ear almost catching it in his sharp teeth. "Figures you'd try to stop me!" Issiah sneered and then suddenly smacked Firedrake down full force. with his paw. Firedrake fell to his side and when he landed this caused the whole room and everything on the ground to shake from his sheer amount of weight. In all honesty, this would have been the complete and final last straw for Firedrake. He had enough of Issiah and was ready to put him in his place once again but Issiah was saved just as Firedrake was getting back up to his feet.

"Fire-!"

 _'Ben!'_ Firedrake felt everything move in slow motion as he turned his head to see Ben come running in from the door. Figures in the chaos Ben would be the one running towards the danger. Now, Firedrake didn't know if Issiah actually took a look and saw Ben, or if he had thought that some human was trying to stop his reign of terror, but regardless Issiah fired. Ben slid to his side very quickly and threw his cloak over his body just in time so not to get hit with the flames.

And at that Firedrake absolutely lost it with Issiah. First Issiah insults Ben and now he downright decided to attack Ben. Firedrake was having none of this. Firedrake raced over so he was now in front of Ben blocking him from Issiah. "Have you completely lost your mind?!" Firedrake demanded. He heard feet rushing over and Firedrake just gave a quick look over his shoulder to see Ivan rushing on over to Ben.

Issiah bared his teeth bitterly at Firedrake. "You know, I'm getting _sick_ of you!" Issiah stomped his foot and then got down ready to strike if needed.

Firedrake heard a very soft "what the fuck?" Leave Ivan's mouth in shock. Ivan truly sounded astonished by Issiah's behavior and he didn't even know the half of it. And Firedrake didn't know why but something was telling him to turn back around towards Ivan and Ben again- so he did just for a moment and got a shock when he saw not only Atticus and his family all standing behind him, but Belle was there- looking very ashamed- and so were three other strangers. They all showed some form of concern for Ben as Ivan helped him to his feet.

"Issiah, stop this. It's over, okay? Look-" Firedrake stepped to the side to reveal Ivan and Ben to Issiah. "-They're safe- we're no longer in bonds and we can just leave and put this horrific nightmare behind us!" Firedrake wanted nothing more than to thrash and throttle Issiah for his recent behavior and attitude towards Ben, but still, Firedrake was going to be the better dragon about this. He honestly expected Issiah to go back to civil upon seeing Ivan again Ivan seemed to be Issiah's driving factor the one thing keeping him somewhat sane.

"Are you okay?" Ivan had questioned and Issiah's ears perked. Only to lower once he realized that Ivan wasn't asking him... he was asking Ben. In fact, Firedrake swiftly noticed how touchy Ivan was towards Ben now. He was cradling Ben's face in his hands and looking Ben over to make sure he was alright.

"I'm fine-" Ben noticed the look of anger on Issiah's face and quickly coughed before lightly pushing Ivan's hands away from his face. "-Maybe check on Issiah?" Ben whispered to Ivan.

"Save it! Anyone can see it, you two... have become mates?" Issiah accused greatly with a snarl on his face, but in his eyes, anyone could see that he was truly betrayed by this. Ivan shuttered and Ben cringed.

"Issiah-" Ivan swooped in to try and prove him wrong or right, but Issiah came in just as quickly.

"-am I wrong?"

Ivan tensed, heckles raised and fists clenched tightly by his sides. "What does it matter?-"

"It matters to me!"

"Issiah-"

"I thought I lost you! I thought I was going to die and I would never see you again! and you left me! You left me so many times to be with him! It could have been me and you at the start but you took all of the blame for him! You did everything for him! and it hurts, Ivan! It hurts!" Issiah's emotions came spilling over the edge as he screamed at Ivan as loud as he could.

This was... shocking to say the least. Ben knew that Issiah didn't like him but for it to be just be something as simple and as human as jealousy... well, it was unexpected.

"Issiah… just because I love Ben doesn't mean I won't love you. That's not how emotions work, buddy." Ivan took a few steps forward so he was now closer to Issiah.

"But it's so _infuriating!_ Just watching you two." Issiah almost grumbled childishly.

"Oh, trust me! You don't know the half of it!" Came Twigleg's voice.

"Twigleg!" Ben gasped out and rushed to his friend- who had another friend! Firedrake almost couldn't believe it when saw another Manikin walking with Twigleg.

"Rosa!" A very deep voice suddenly cut through the crowd and a... person came running over with Ben to the two homunculi.

Belle perked up. "Yes?" This confused Firedrake a little. Not just Belle's own reaction but his mind went to his rat friend, Rosa Greytail.

"Not you." The man curtly told Belle before standing up and showing off the new manikin. The manikin was a female with very long pink hair put up into a ponytail. "This is Rosa, my little friend. I've missed you so much!" the man brought Rosa close to his face as a sign of affection.

"As I was saying," Twigleg spoke up again. He climbed up to Ben's head so he was now taller and had all attention on him. "That's what love _is_ Issiah. It _hurts_ a lot! I'll be the first to tell you that I don't exactly want to share Ben with Ivan- but Ben's my friend and Ivan makes him happy!"

"Ain't that the truth!" Atticus let out a loud groan like he was remembering an annoying memory. "I don't know if you remember this, but I'll say this first and foremost. Zenith? The real one? Huge flirt! To the point that all I wanted to do was just throttle him and everyone he ever flirted with!" Atticus mimicked strangling someone. Zenith only placed a hand on Atticus's shoulder to calm him down. The two looked at one another before Zenith just smiled softly at Atticus and he relaxed. "The point is... it's normal to feel this way. It's not normal to keep it boiled up inside of you like this, Issiah. It leaves resentment."

This... seemed to work. The tension between the two dragons actually started to disperse for once the whole trip. Issiah slowly started to relax just a little bit. He still looked hurt, but at least Firedrake knew that Issiah wasn't going to harm Ben so this allowed him to relax as well. Issiah then looked at Belle.

If Belle could shrink away Firedrake was sure she would at that moment. Belle quickly hid her face in her hands and looked away from Issiah, soft apologies leaving her mouth at a rapid-fire rate. She sounded so close to tears that Firedrake could tell that she was genuine in her feelings. "... I- a part of me knew that you were going to betray me... I knew that you were up to no good... still, I chose to trust you. I need to know why should I trust you now?" Issiah demanded to Belle. Belle slowly brought her hands down away from her face and looked at Issiah with wet teary eyes. She sniffled meekly and then looked up at Issiah.

"I-" Belle tried to speak, but was suddenly cut off by Ben. He wasn't defending her but he actively shushed her with a sharp-

"Wait!-" and everyone turned quiet at Ben's demand. There was a tense moment of quiet nothingness between everyone. Ben didn't even move as he wanted to be as quiet as possible. Then they heard it off in the distance. Sirens. Police and fire sirens to be exact. Ben and Ivan just looked at each other quickly before both announcing _"We have to leave!"_ loudly to everyone.

Everyone scrambled quickly unsure of what to do. Ben and Ivan helped the others onto the dragons. Ben helped Winston and Esmeralda onto Firedrake's back. Both were mildly freaking out as this was (obviously) their first time on a dragon's back. "I never thought this day would come..." Esmeralda gasped out in awe- Ben could see the stars in her eyes.

"Wait- how are we going to go get out?!" Ivan gasped out at the realization that they were still trapped inside the building. It wasn't burning anymore but the ceiling and some walls were singed black. Sherri and Belle were on Issiah's back looking around for an escape. When suddenly another voice from the heavens cut through the air.

"Are you all blind!?" Lola's called around the room and with no warning, there was a sudden loud and startling noise that made everyone cry out and look in the direction it was coming from- behind them. It was the door! A garage type door to be exact! Lola, Henry, and Henrick came rushing over towards Ben. Ben picked all three up and let them scurry into his pockets for safety.

"It's nighttime!" Ivan cried out almost happily- that meant that both dragons could flee together. Ivan hopped up on to Issiah's back and before Ben could fully sit down on Firedrake's back.

Ben could see the emergency lights off in the distance getting closer to them. It was almost hypnotizing to him just watching the red and blue lights become closer and closer as did the sirens. And for some reason, Ben had an odd moment of clarity and right before Firedrake took to the sky. "Firedrake?! Where's Sorrel?!"

"We have a lot to talk about, Ben..." Was all Firedrake told him before taking finally taking off into the air.


	24. Chapter 24

"You left her?!"

Ben was fuming. He started to pace up and down.

They were now hiding in a forest, where they were none of them were really sure. They wouldn't know until Atticus came back from the town. He needed to run into the local Walmart to 'get something kind of important.' in his own words. This left everyone to stay near the dragons. Sofi was still unconscious, which was good, but everyone could see that this probably won't be much longer and kept their distance.

"I wasn't thinking," Firedrake explained.

"What do you remember about the place you dropped her off at?" Ivan butted in fairly quickly.

"Not much, the smell of the ocean and these trees had some odd spikey leaves," Firedrake explained the best he could. Ivan instantly perked up.

"You mean palm trees?" There was a sudden inflection in Ivan's voice that caused Ben and the others to look at him curiously. "Because if you're talking about palm trees then that actually narrows it down greatly! Map! Does anyone still have a map-"

"I have my phone." Rosaline offered and handed it over to Ivan.

"Even better!" Ben, Rosaline, and Sherri peered over Ivan's shoulder as, at first, he typed in for a picture of palm trees. Once they were up he showed the pictures to Firedrake. "Those trees right?" Firedrake nodded and Ivan grinned almost madly. "Perfect! Okay-" Ivan paused and changed his search to a simple map of the United States. Once one was up, he showed everyone. "This is great! This is so great! Okay, seeing palm trees and smelling the ocean means you were either in California, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia."

"How is that 'narrowing it down'? that's eight states!" Ben exclaimed.

"Yes, yes it is, but look. From Texas to Virginia." Ivan pointed at the map with his finger and made a line.

"It's just a straight line across..." Rosaline filled in for everyone else. "It would take us less than a night to find her!"

"-Maybe. Now, if you were close enough to were you could smell the ocean then that leaves us with pretty simple spots to try and find her- except for Florida. Because Florida is almost completely surrounded by the ocean."

Ben scratched at his nub as Ivan was explaining all of this to everyone. Truthfully, he trying to keep a straight face as a bout of phantom pain quiet suddenly struck his nub. He really hated this. He did but wanted to be quiet about it for now. His scratching turned to rub as he trying his best to soothe the pain shooting through his nub. Ben suddenly felt hot breath on the back of his neck. He turned to Firedrake who simply nuzzled against Ben's nub. Just the sheer presence was enough to help soothe the ongoing pain.

"I say it's worth a shot-" Zenith suddenly piped up making Ben realize that he wasn't listening at all to at least half of the plan.

That was when Atticus finally came back, and Ben could help by letting out a loud laugh at what was in Atticus's hands. "Is that a child leash!?" Ben laughed out between breaths.

"Yes, Sofi is going to be dangerous. This is the only way I can restrain her. Trust me, if they sold straight-jackets I might have bought one." Atticus responded to Ben's laugh. Ben quickly stifled his laughter once he saw Ivan give a visible shutter. "By the way, we're in Kansas." Atticus then called back to all of them.

"Kansas... Okay..." Ivan started to rub his mouth and went quiet as he started to think. "Give me a minute to think of a plan, guys..."

And that's what everyone did. They quickly dispersed to leave Ivan to think. Ben looked around at their little Ragtag group.

Issiah was fast asleep during all of this, hence his silence during all of this.

Sherri was talking with Rosaline, she was even braiding the younger girl's hair. It was kind of nice to see the two of them get along despite the obvious elephant in the room.

Ben turned towards Winston and Esmerelda. Esmeralda looked way different with all of her hair chopped off by those hunters. Right now she was busy showing Rosa off to Winston. It was honestly a cute little moment as Ben watched Winston give Rosa a tiny little handshake.

Ben didn't watch for long, he turned his attention to Atticus and his family. Lucy and Jason went off hunting for food. So, for now, it was only Atticus, Sofi, and Zenith. Atticus was currently putting the child leash on Sofi. Ben shook his head, it did seem ridiculous to him, but Atticus knew best in this regard, so Ben just left it be.

Lola, Henry, and Henrick were off, probably to get some food of their own as well.

So, Ben decided to sit next to Firedrake for the time being. He was careful not to move his bag too much as Twigleg was in there resting. "Your arm? It's been hurting?" Firedrake asked and rested his head in Ben's lap.

"Yeah. Phantom pain..." he explained quietly to Firedrake. "It goes away eventually."

"What is 'Phantom pain'?"

"Well..." Ben sucked in a big breath and scratched his head. "It's pain to a limb that is no longer there. It hurts... it's like a dull pain just shooting through the remainder of my arm."

"Could my fire heal it? I don't like the idea of you being in pain."

It was cute. There was no other way to describe it other than cute. Ben just gave Firedrake a smile and patted his nose. "No, it won't work like that, but thanks." Ben then pressed his head up top Firedrake's. Firedrake gave a bit of a sad coo.

"I feel bad for leaving Sorrel behind."

"I know you do, but don't worry buddy, we'll get her back," Ben reassured him.

Firedrake nodded meekly and then shut his eyes. It didn't take long for Firedrake to fall asleep, and truthfully it didn't take long for Ben to doze off either.

"Babe-" Ben jumped and slapped at Ivan's hand. "Easy, sorry." Ivan gave a nervous laugh and moved Ben's hand down gently. "I've come up with an idea. I can't be sure that we will find Sorrel, but it's a start." He explained to Ben and then sat down next to him. This roused Firedrake out of his short nap as well.

"Sorrel?" Firedrake sleepily asked and flicked his ears in his daze.

"I have an idea," Ivan repeated for Firedrake. "It shouldn't take long for us to do this but I say we start at California and move along the coastline from there, being careful not to cross into Mexico."

"But shouldn't we be more stealthy about this? I'm like a hundred percent sure that everyone in America will be looking at the skies to find two escaped dragons." Ben brought up. "I mean crossing eight states in a single night..." Ben tsked his tongue and made a worried face.

"I'm aware of this," Ivan explained. "That's all I got to be honest. As I said, we might not even find Sorrel. For all, we know she left states."

Ben looked at Firedrake. "It's up to you. Whatever you want to do, just say the word."

"I want to try and find Sorrel, I owe her so much."

Ben nodded and patted Firedrake's scales. "Then that's what we'll do."

* * *

They started in California as Ivan suggested. Issiah and Firedrake stayed high enough in the air where they won't be spotted too quickly but down low enough to where they could still see the ground. Everyone kept an eye out for the brownie- well almost everyone. You see right before they took off for the night Sofi had woken up, and true to his word she went feral fast. She had made a lunge for them but the child leash came in handy and managed to keep her at bay. That was until Atticus and she had to get on the back of Firedrake. Ben had feared that they had to leave them out of this, he didn't want to leave anybody behind, not now, not ever again. But, it seemed Atticus had a plan to distract his little feral child. This plan was in the form of a dead rabbit. "This will keep her at bay, hopefully," Atticus explained to everyone. Ben just couldn't hold back his face of disgust as Sofi completely tore into the rabbit. Fur and all.

"I'm totally going vegan..." Ben shuttered under his breath.

"That'll keep her at ease? For the whole ride?" Ivan asked.

"Should." Was all Atticus had to say about it. They didn't have any reason not to believe him. He sat on Issiah's back while mostly everyone (say for Ivan) sat on Firedrake's just to be on the safer side. Atticus even wrapped his arms and legs around Sofi just to make sure she didn't try and free herself.

As mentioned, they started in California. Everyone had their gaze to the ground in hopes of finding the polka dotted brownie, but alas there was nothing. So they moved on to Texas. Like before they were met with nothing as they did what they could to scope the landscape. Ivan had mentioned that if they could smell the ocean then they should look somewhere close towards the coastline. "Are we sure she could even still be there?" Winston had asked Ben.

"It's only been two days, she couldn't have crossed the border in that amount of time," Ben told Winston.

Honestly halfway through Texas Ben was starting to doubt that they would find her. Still, he wasn't going to give up hope. If Sorrel could do all she could to try and find him, then Ben was going to do the same thing for her. He wasn't going to stop until they find her safe and sound.

Florida was their next stop and like Ivan had brought up Florida was almost surrounded by water so they had to scope out the whole state basically. Of course, they had to go down the whole coastline. Everyone was looking down, looking for a polka-dotted brownie amongst the beaches and palm trees.

"Huh?" Rosaline patted Ben's shoulder for his attention. Ben looked back at her, she pointed forward. Ben looked up to where she was pointed and could see it. Just a silver dot off in the distance in front of them.

"Firedrake!-" Ben called out.

"I see it..."

"Should we go higher?!" Ivan's voice roared over the winds as he pointed up. "It could be a plane!"

"I thought planes go higher!" Ben yelled back to Ivan.

"It could be an independent plane-" Ivan cut himself off suddenly. The silver dot was getting closer, and he was starting to realize it wasn't a plane. "Ben-"

It was getting closer and closer to the group of two and once it was close enough Ben gasped out. "Firedrake!-"

"It's a dragon-!" Someone had yelled out but Ben didn't have time to see or really hear who had yelled it out because the two dragons almost met head-on. Firedrake had swerved last minute and Issiah had to quickly go up to avoid the collision. Ben almost felt worried about this- until he saw it was another silver dragon.

For a moment Ben wondered if it was Maia- no... Ben could see patterns along with this dragon's silver scales. Did it look like flowers and Ivy? Ben then realized just who it was. "Tattoo?!" He called out almost in a mixture of disbelief and relief. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing-

"Oh, sure pay attention to the dragon! I see how you all are!" Came Sorrel's snarky voice from Tattoo's back.

"Sorrel!" Ben happily yelled out to the brownie. Ben felt like he could cry. Everyone was now together and it felt like everything was going to be alright.

"Sorrel, I'm glad you're okay, but I must ask this. Tattoo why are you here and how did you find her or us for that matter?" Firedrake had asked the dragon.

"Perhaps we should have this conversation on land?" suggested Tattoo.

Yes, that would be the best idea it would seem as everyone having a conversation in the middle of the air would most definitely catch unwanted attention from the humans below. So, all three dragons found an area large enough to host them and far enough away from the humans. Once landed; Ben was the first to jump from Firedrake's back and rushed straight to Sorrel to hug her. "Oof!" Sorrel exclaimed as Ben had almost knocked her over.

"Okay! Okay!" Sorrel, never the one for 'touchy-feely', quickly only gave Ben a little pat on the shoulder before completely shoving him off of her. "You humans, I swear!" She huffed. "And you!" She pointed at Firedrake and marched right up to him without a second to spare. "You left me! You just up and left me have you gone crazy!?"

"I... I'm sorry..."

Ben left them to their conversation and instead focused on Tattoo- whom Winston seemed to already be taken a liking too as Winston was tracing the flowers and Ivy patterns of Tattoo's scales. "Tattoo, what are you doing here?" Ben asked the younger dragon while ignoring Winston.

"Maia sent me. She was worried about how long Firedrake had been gone."

"And you knew to come here?" if Ben's memory was correct Firedrake didn't have time to tell anyone where they going.

"Well not at first. I actually went off towards the UK to see if maybe he was resting there and I had run into your family. I don't know why they were out there- may be waiting for your return? They pointed me here."

Winston then spoke up before Ben could ask his next question. "How did you get these patterns?"

"Oh, you're a curious little human." Tattoo gave Winston a little nudge but didn't answer his question. Mainly because Ben quickly gained Tattoo's attention back.

"How did you find Sorrel?"

"And you have a lot of questions."

"The last one, I swear." Ben chuckled.

"I didn't find her, she found me. I was just flying in the air when a rock hit me in the wing causing me to land. She came to give me a good scolding but realized that I wasn't Firedrake." Tattoo explained the best he could to Ben.

"Yeah... That sounds like Sorrel..." Ben muttered with a slight nod. He reached up and scratched at his face before looking back at Sorrel and Firedrake. She was still giving him a good piece of her mind for abandoning her.

"This is so cool..." Ben heard Winston admire Tattoo some more.

And, so Ben was now finally able to look at the group as a whole. Yeah, they expanded a little more than what he was expected with them all being now a group of over ten versus the group of four when they first started. Then Ben focused on Sherri and a thought crossed his mind _'Wouldn't she want to go home?'_ That thought alone was the driving force for Ben to walk up to her.

Sherri was standing by herself looking at her nails. "Mrs. Newlands?"

"Mi Hijo, my husband has been dead for over a year now. It's Ms. not Mrs." Sherri quickly told Ben.

"I'm sorry."

"Is there something you needed?"

"Don't take this wrong way... but what are you going to do now? I mean you're not going to go back to the UK with us... are you?"

Sherri seemed to think on it for a few passing moments. "I mean... I could... but... I should go home first, huh?" She looked at Ben.

"Probably, I mean it's been great having you and if you want to live closer to Ivan then I think that'll be great! But you should... you know to pack and stuff. It's not easy starting over from nothing." Ben gave a nervous laugh and then scratched the back of his head.

Sherri only chuckled back at him and suddenly reached over and grabbed his hand. "Promise me you'll help take care of him while I'm gone?"

Ben gave her a little smile. "I've _been_ taking care of him for the past four years now."

Sherri laughed again and then sighed out loudly. "Alright then... I better get going-"

Ben's eyes went wide and he quickly grabbed her back to stop her from leaving. "Whoa, Whoa! Slow down now. We're in Florida-"

"What's going on?" Ivan came walking over to them. He had both hands in his pockets and was looking his mother up and down quizzically.

"Oh, Mi Hijo." Sherri walked on over and placed a hand on Ivan's cheek. "I think it's time I take my leave."

"T-Take your leave? Here in Florida? At least let us drop you off!"

"That's what I'm saying!" Ben butted in firmly.

"No... No." Sherri told them firm but calm. "I have my ways of getting home, don't you two worry about me. Okay?"

There was a moment of silence and Ben looked over at Ivan. Ivan looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn't. Instead, he just gave a weak, and confused nod. "Yeah... Yeah."

"What? Ms. Newlands-" Ben tried to protest again, this time just a little louder gaining some attention from the others. Sherri shushed him quickly and Ben listened almost immediately.

"It's _fine._ " Sherri moved her hand from Ivan's face to Ben's. And... it helped him relax. It was almost hard to explain. "I'll get home safely. You don't need to worry about me."

Ben gave her a small nod at first before nodding faster. "Okay. Yeah." He relented and backed off. "You're right, you're a grown woman." Sherri smiled at him and let go of his face. Ben exhaled not really realizing that he had held breath. He then blinked a little confused and looked at Ivan, who looked back at him equally confused.

"Hey, where is your mother going?" Rosaline questioned as she walked up to the duo.

Ben blinked. His head was starting to feel a little dazed. So, he just walked away from Rosaline and sat down on the ground. _'What just happened?'_ Ben hadn't felt this way in years... not since.

"I saw that right, right?" Atticus came up to Ben. He was currently off of Sofi duty as it seemed it was now Zenith's turn to watch over the feral child.

"I... don't exactly know what happened," Ben confessed to Atticus. Atticus shoved his hands into his pockets and looked back at Sherri's retreating form.

"I'm not going to say anything because I can't be too sure... but I might know how she got us those rooms for free..." Atticus huffed a little. Ben noticed Atticus's narrowed eyes and how his body tensed up. "You know what? Let's not think about it, okay? C' mon everyone is safe and sound and let's not think of anything else right now and just enjoy the fact that we're all safe and sound."

"You know... that does bring up a question." Ivan came up to them he was scratching at his head in his own confusion. "How do you think the Greenbloom's are going to take our extra four companions here? I mean I don't know about bringing them with us."

"Where else could they go? Esmeralda was on the streets, Rosaline lived with her abusive crazy mother, and Winston... well..." Ben paused and then rested both arms on his knees and looked up at his boyfriend. Hearing laughter Ben looked up to see Esmeralda currently entertaining Winston and Tattoo with Rosaline, with the help of Twigleg, was signing and telling jokes to the others. They looked so carefree and relaxed that it melted Ben's heart down to cinders. "But we have to help them."

"If I could?" Firedrake bumped into their conversation. "If the Greenbloom's can't take them in, I'm sure we could find some room for them at the rim."

Sorrel snorted. "Didn't we go to the rim to get away from humans? Also, Firedrake, do it now before you forget."

"Do what?" Ben asked softly and looked at Firedrake. Firedrake's ear's twitched and he sat up a little straighter before leaning down and plucking out one of his scales that laid on his chest.

"Here. I should have gifted it to you earlier. It would have saved us this whole trip." Firedrake leaned down and placed the scale in Ben's palm.

"It's warm..." Ben observed and clasped the scale around his fingers and Firedrake gently nuzzled Ben's chest.

"With that scale, I will not only know where you are but how you're feeling."

Ivan let out a loud scoff at that. "You're right, that would have saved us so much! Oh?" Issiah had nudged Ivan in the back gaining his attention.

"I guess... since we're giving gifts... Here, from me to you." Issiah did the same as Firedrake and pluck a blue scale from his arm and gave it to Ivan. "Just in case."

"Thanks, Issiah."

Ben watched the two of them before reaching up and patting Firedrake's snout. Firedrake cooed softly and leaned into Ben's touch. "I think..." Ben paused for a moment and then softly pulled Firedrake into a hug. "It's time to go home."


	25. Chapter 25

They got back to the UK in less than a day. Upon getting back to the UK, Ben was pretty surprised to not see the Greenblooms. "Well, they weren't going to wait forever." Ivan had told Ben making Ben realize that Ivan was right. So, after a little back and forth between everyone it was decided that Ben and Ivan would go off into Bristol as there was no way they could call the Greenblooms with everyone's phone now dead.

Naturally, people had their own issues with Ivan and Ben going off on their given what happened last time. However; the others were quick to back down once Ben pointed out that they now had dragon scales and if anything were to happen then both of them would be quick to hold the scales if needed. That seemed to do the trick to ease everyone's mind. And the two of them left.

That was almost three hours ago. Ben was absolutely sweating now as they walked up to the road to Bristol. Ivan was no better. Both were hot, sweaty, almost dehydrated, and Bristol was still a good three miles away. "Please tell me there's a petrol station nearby." Ivan half whined as she started to fan himself with the collar of his shirt before he completely took his shirt off. Ben won't lie. He stared at Ivan for a few good seconds. Ivan threw his shirt over his shoulder and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Better..."

"I'm not sure." Was all Ben could finally answer. The harsh road and the unbearable heat was adding to their torture as with each step they took their feet burned from the heat and ached from walking for such a long period of time. Ben, ever the optimist tried to take his mind off of the pain and exhaustion he was feeling and tried to remind himself that Atticus and his family currently had it way worse out in the sun like this. Still, Ben was also keeping his mind occupied with thoughts. First, it was the thought of Atticus and his family but then his mind started to shift to Issiah. It was just simple thoughts, his surprise of Issiah's true jealously mainly. Then Ben got to thinking a little deeper. _'He's jealous of me, obviously. Maybe him and Ivan having a little getaway wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Maybe after their adventure is done Issiah might calm down and even warm up to me a little?"_ Ben had thought to himself. He looked at Ivan before suddenly placing his head on Ivan's shoulder. This caused Ivan to instinctively to wrap his arm around Ben's shoulders. "You know... I've been thinking."

"Yeah?"

"If you want to go on an adventure with Issiah when this is all said and done. I won't mind. It seems like you two may reconnect. Hell, maybe I'll go off with Firedrake and we can both just... get away from other humans." Ben proposed the idea to Ivan. There were a few seconds of silence between the two of them and Ben had wondered if he had upset Ivan in some way by bringing it up.

"Yeah but...-" Ivan stopped suddenly making Ben stop walking. Ivan then grabbed Ben's hand. Ivan kept his gaze down on Ben's hand for a few heartbeats before speaking again. "-Then that would mean that we would be away from each other. We _just_ got together."

"I know. But think about it. Think about Issiah and not about me. Think about how hurt he sounded, how angry he was. Maybe you two going on a trip together might soothe him." He explained to Ivan. Ivan paused and thought about it for a few more seconds.

"You do make a good point. I won't lie, I think Issiah is sick of hanging around the rim of heaven..."

"Go-" Ben urged and then brought Ivan's hand up to kiss it. "I really don't mind, love."

Ivan's eyes softened and he brought his other hand up to gently tuck some of Ben's wild curly locks behind Ben's ear. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

They might have been able to kiss at that moment, honestly Ben was ready to, but a sound off in the distance made them turn their head towards it. It was a car coming their way. "Oh! Should we?" Ben asked as the car was getting closer. Of course, he was talking about hitchhiking. Naturally, he heard horror stories on hitchhiking and that's if they get picked up in the first place. "It's kind of dangerous."

"Yes, but we have an advantage." Ivan stood on the side of the road and did the old school hitchhiking tool of sticking his hand out and his thumb up.

"Which is?"

"Dragon Scales. Anyone tries and fuck with us we just sick the dragons on 'em." Ivan grinned like a dummy. Ben gave a breathy chuckle and then stuck his thumb out next to Ivan. Ben honestly half expected the driver to just drive on by as they didn't exactly look trustworthy. Ben was missing an arm (at some point he had lost his prosthetic), and Ivan wasn't wearing his shirt. Both were filthy, sweaty, and haven't showered in days. To Ben's surprise, the care slowed down to a crawl in front of them. The window slowly rolled down and they saw a lone older gent (at least in his seventies) on the driver's side. Ben and Ivan both lowered themselves down so they could see the inside of the car a little better.

"You blokes need a ride?" The elder asked them.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble. We're just heading for West Bristol." Ben explained to the elder man. "We don't have much."

"But I have Twinkies!... if you're into that that is." Ivan shrugged.

"Well... I want to give him something more... I have American money..."

The elder perked a little. "Oh? Do you got a tenner?" He asked. Ben shrugged off his bag and pulled out his wallet. He looked at the weird American money and even have Ivan help him. In the end, he shook his head.

"Fiver," Ben explained and pulled out the five.

"Sure, I'll take it. Get in." Ben and Ivan both hurried into the back seat of the man's car. Once in Ben handed the five to the man. "Nice! It'll go nice with my collection."

"Oh? You like foreign money?" Ivan had asked as the man took off driving. The air conditioning was welcomed.

"Oh, yeah. I have money from all over the world. I already have a fiver in American money, I really needed a Tenner, but you guys really looked like you needed a ride."

"Thank you." Ben made sure that the man knew of his gratitude.

"So, whatcha boys need in Bristol, if you don't mind me asking, and why the bloody hell are you two _walking_ there especially if you're going west!" The man had questioned.

"Just going home," Ben commented as he slowly started to relax against the soft car seat. "We've had a long, _long_ , week-"

"Almost two weeks..." Ivan butted in.

"Yeah."

The rest of the ride was just Ben and Ivan making small talk with the elder man (whose name is Walter) for about ten to fifteen minutes. Walter was actually pretty nice and even went as far as to drop them off in front of the Greenbloom's driveway. For this Ben gave the man all of his American money (Ivan even threw in a couple of Twinkies and ding-dong despite Ben fighting him on this.). The man waved them off and then with that he was gone.

"I think that's the easiest thing that happened to us!" Ivan gasped out once Walter was fully gone.

"I know! I really wish I had a tenner to give him." Ben sighed as walked up towards the front door. He didn't see a car in the driveway so he'd knew he'd need his keys. Thank goodness he still had his house keys. Ben pulled his keys out, walked up to the door, put the front door key in and-

It didn't turn.

"Bloody-" Ben couldn't help but gasp out and even take a step back at this.

"Hm?" Ivan came up behind Ben equally confused by this. "Are you using the right key?"

"..." Ben frowned but did reason with himself as he did have two keys. One was for the front door and the other for the backdoor, as both had different locks. So, he figured he was using the wrong key. He pulled out the other key, stuck it into the lock, and same deal. It didn't work. Ben checked the address twice to make sure he had the right house. ' _Of course, I have the right house! I've lived here for years!'_ Ben pulled the key out and just turned to Ivan. "...I think they changed the locks..."

"What." Ivan deadpanned he then brought his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course they did!" Ivan groaned loudly before turning and giving the door frame a good kick in rage. "Bloody!- Ah!-" Ivan went off on loud huff of just sounds in his rage. He was ready to blow a fuse and truthfully so was Ben, but Ben knew to keep his calm. Ben turned his back to the door and faced Ivan.

"We just gotta wait, that's all we gotta-" The door opened and Ben spun around wondering who had answered it and it surprised him that's for sure. "O... Oliver?" Ben responded a little more than stunned to see his estranged father.

"Benjamin!" Oliver quickly ran out of the house and hugged Ben tightly. Ben ignored the fact that his father was only in a bathrobe, that was tied off thankfully and just gave him a hug back.

"Oliver... hey..." Ben awkwardly spoke and shot a look back to Ivan, who shrugged. Ben then patted Oliver's back and broke away from Oliver. "What... are you doing here?" He bluntly asked.

Oliver gave Ben a bit of a worried look. "I thought you were told?"

"... Told?"

Oliver sidestepped to show Ben into the doorway. Ben's Jaw dropped at what he saw. Carefully he stepped inside of the house and just he turned back to Ivan who had the same look of astonishment on his face as Ben.

The house was... well... empty. Say for the stacks of boxes of Oliver's things and his lone couch in that faced a TV. Ben turned to Oliver who looked a little sheepish. "They moved?" Ben finally came to realize as he looked at Oliver.

"I don't know the details, but I know they wanted to tell you! Something happened almost immediately after you left- they wouldn't tell me what but they waited for you as long as they could. Oh!" Oliver seemed to have realized something. "Stay there!" He then hurried off.

Ben looked over at Ivan and Ben wasn't exactly hiding the fact that he was upset. "They left?"

"You heard Oliver, they wanted to tell you."

"But where are they now?"

"Found it!" Oliver's voice yelled from the upstairs. He then showed himself at the top of the stairs. "Barnabas left this for when you came back!" Swiftly Oliver went down the stairs and handed a folded piece of paper to Ben. Ben took it and opened it to read it. Ivan looked over Ben's shoulder.

"Oh, it's the new address-" Ivan sounded pretty happy and honestly it did send a bit of relief through Ben as well. _Of course, the Greenblooms wouldn't just up an abandon us!_ Ben smiled a little.

"-It's in Norway?..." Ben's brow furrowed a little. "What exactly happened?-" Ben thought about Atticus's family being attacked shortly after they started their adventure and fear the worst. "Did they get attacked?!"

"No, no, nothing like that. As I said, I don't know all of the details as to what happened or why they left so quickly, but from what I could tell they were fine if not eager."

"Okay, I'm going to ask the obvious question. Why are _you_ here? Last I heard you were in a mental hospital." Ivan butted in pretty quickly.

Oliver gave a soft sniff before plopping his butt down on the lone couch. "Oh, right. Well... I had gotten out of the hospital and had stopped on by here to, well, see you. They were in the middle of packing. Barnabas and I talked to each other for a while and he mentioned that this house was going up for sale. I bought it."

"It's not a little too big for you? a bachelor?" Ivan questioned.

"Nonsense." Was all Oliver had to say about that. "So, enough about this, how was your trip to America? do you need some tea?" Oliver reached up and grabbed Ben's hand. Ben could see that Oliver really wanted Ben to just sit down and talk to him for a little bit.

"No, none right now... but... do you think you could drive us to the countryside?" Ivan had asked making Oliver blink in confusion.

"But, you just got here. I mean I know I'm not Barnabas-"

"-Actually!" Ben looked at Ivan quickly. "I could _really_ go for tea! Actual tea!" Ben nudged Ivan quickly.

"The others waiting for us?"

" C'mon, mate. Just one cuppa."

Ivan rolled his eyes, let out a sigh, and then he relented. "Fine, a cuppa sounds good. Just one!"

* * *

A nice hot cup of tea was what Ben needed and while he was finally getting to sit down and enjoy that cup of tea things were a little different with the other group. It was hot and sunny. The vampires of the group weren't exactly thrilled with this. Atticus had thrown his jacket over his head all while they sat under a shaded tree, their children off hunting (surprisingly) Lucy had Sofi and Atticus trusted her with this. "Of all the days it had to actually be sunny in the UK!" Atticus huffed under his jacket. Zenith chuckled softly at him as he did look rather silly. The heat was getting pretty high at this point making Zenith almost think about losing his shirt, but that would expose his skin more to the sun so the shirt stayed on. Zenith wiped some sweat from his brow and focused on the dragons. All of them were resting. It almost made him chuckle when he saw Issiah had scorched the ground so it'd be nice and hot for him.

"Mister?" Esmeralda came up to Zenith making him look up at her. In her hands was a pretty thick and old looking book. Twigleg and Rosa were on her shoulders. Twigleg had a bit of a concerned look on his face that made Zenith stand up and walk out of the shade.

"Yes? This is the book you read?" Zenith asked as he reached out for the leather bound book. Esmeralda nodded nervously.

"Zenith-" Twigleg spoke up. "I saw the first page."

"Twigleg, you know you shouldn't read these-" Zenith had opened to the first page of the book and paused in mid-sentence once he saw the first page. Zenith opened and closed his mouth, he then put his hand to his mouth and dragged it down. "... You said you found this in your mothers closet?" Zenith finally asked her. Esmeralda nodded slowly and almost sacredly.

"What's the problem?" Atticus had shed his jacket from up top his head and looked over Zenith's shoulder. His face went from neutral to shocked in seconds. "Is that-"

"Yep... That's Celeste's name..."

"Who _is_ this Celeste?! and Why is she such a big deal?" Esmeralda finally asked. Twigleg was translating what was going on to Rosa. Esmeralda yelling had caught the attention of Winston who walked on over to see what was going on.

"She's a witch. We don't exactly have a good history with her." Atticus explained to Esmeralda.

"... This is more than just a coincidence…" Zenith suddenly spoke up and got ready to just slam the book shut, but he suddenly stopped and looked at Esmeralda. He then sighed out loudly. "But... I understand how you got clairvoyance by reading this. I should have guessed she was involved in some way." Zenith sat down and then patted the grass across from him. "Sit. I think I can still fix this before it becomes too late."

"Zenith... I need you to be careful, these books. They're powerful... It's a miracle Esmeralda didn't go mad!" Twigleg yelled out.

"Mad?" Esmeralda asked now fully concerned.

"Crazy, not angry," Winston explained as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hey, question? you don't think there's anything in there to fix my eye?" Winston pointed to his covered eye. "I don't really care much about my missing fingers, but I'd like to be able to have twenty-twenty again."

"Only if you're ready to lose a whole hand." Zenith grinned back at Winston. "To gain something you must lose something in return."

"Bah. I'll live with the one eye then."

"... Couldn't one of the dragons help him?" Twigleg suddenly asks. "I mean he is injured, they might not give your fingers back but from what I know I don't see why his vision couldn't be healed..."

"I'm not sure, that's something you'd have to ask the dragons," Atticus replied back to Twigleg. Twigleg suddenly turned and signed something to Rosa before going over to Winston.

"Here, I'll come with you. We can ask them together." Winston then walked off over towards Tattoo.

"Am I going to lose something on mine?" Esmeralda questioned Zenith suddenly. "If that's true what he said."

"Uh... I can't say for sure, but I'll try and do it so you don't lose something." He tried to reassure her the best he could. Zenith looked at the book and noticed that one of the pages had the corner folded. He couldn't help but chuckle and smile before showing Esmeralda the folded corner. "Did you do this?"

"That's the page on how to make a homunculus..."

"You know, I'm surprised. It could take decades to make a homunculus if you're just starting out that is."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah..."

"It only took me about three months."

Zenith had to blink several times, almost like he was computing that information, once it processed in his mind he quickly rubbed his nose. "Yeah, I won't lie, that's... not normal..." Zenith's brows furrowed a little and he looked at her.

"Maybe she was just born to do this kind of stuff?" Atticus asked reminding the duo that he was still here. "If that's the case then I'm glad you're on our side."

"...Esmeralda, what was your mother's maiden name?" Zenith suddenly asked her with narrowed eyes.

Esmeralda shrugged. "She more or less abandoned me, remember?"

"Rosaline!" Zenith yelled loudly for the other's attention. Rosaline spun and made her way over.

"Yes?" She asked innocently.

"What was Madison's maiden name?"

Rosaline put her finger to her chin and just thought about it. While she was thinking Atticus spoke up.

"You don't think-"

"I _do_ think." Zenith cut Atticus off.

"Think about what?" Esmeralda asked- no- she downright demanded and even placed her hands on her hips.

"-Your mother might be-"

"Ruthbar?" Rosaline finally spoke up. "I think."

Then there was silence as Atticus and Zenith just looked at them. Nobody spoke during these sudden seconds of silence. It was Atticus who finally spoke. "It wasn't Celeste herself. I would have known and so would have you."

"I know it wasn't Celeste because I killed her. There was no way she came back." Zenith muttered in response as he looked down at the book. "... but... Madison could have been her sister hence why we never picked up on it."

"Forgive me for butting in, but couldn't this Celeste have had kids of her own?" Rosaline asked almost sacredly. "I mean who's to say our mother wasn't her daughter?"

Zenith shook his head vigorously. "No, no. Celeste wouldn't have children. She didn't feel the need."

"... Are you like Rosa?" Esmeralda spoke up. This caused Rosaline to look at her a little confused, and it caused Rosa to look at her equally confused. She then leaned forward so she was looking more intently at Zenith. "Were you made artificially?" That was when things started to get awkward as Zenith's breath started to turn ragged with rage as the two of them stared at one another. Esmeralda then narrowed her eyes just a little bit as she looked into Zenith's eyes. "Did Celeste make you?"

"Okay!" Atticus clapped his hands together and pulled Zenith back. "You know what, Love? Let's have a talk? Hm?"

"Yeah..." Zenith slowly stood up looking at Esmeralda the whole time as he did so. Then the two of them walked away from the pair of siblings.

Esmeralda looked at Rosaline. "I didn't mean to upset him."

"I don't think it was you." Rosaline brought her hand out for Esmeralda take. Esmeralda did so. "Let's allow them to talk and cool down."

"I hope he'll still help heal me..."

* * *

"Listen to me, love. It's not his fault he's related to Celeste. You cannot take it out on him." Atticus spoke calmly to Zenith as Zenith was starting to pace back and forth all the while running his hands through his hair uneasily.

" _Her._ And I'm not... I'm just... upset. I just fear it's only a matter of time before she makes another... like me. She already made life." Zenith had his hands out and was shaking horribly. "Yeah, she's 'on our side' but you know that once people get that taste of power... they change."

Atticus put his hand on Zenith's shoulder. This caused Zenith to stop completely. Atticus then placed his other hand on Zenith's shoulder and pulled him in closer. "I think she can take care of herself in that regard."

"... I should... heal her, huh?"

"That would be nice." Zenith looked back over at Esmeralda before smiling a little. "What?"

"It's kind of funny that out of all names she could have chosen to be known as she chose the name 'Esmeralda.' You remember 'The hunchback of Notre Dame.' ?"

"Book or Disney movie?"

Zenith just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well... it doesn't matter really, but basically Esmeralda was the name of the gypsy woman that was accused of being a witch and practicing witchcraft. It just feels almost fitting."

"Well... she is clairvoyant."

"Good point."

"Is this going to hurt?" Esmeralda asked Zenith. The two of them had secured a safer place away from everyone. Rosa had to go with Winston while this was going down. The two of them actually went a good two hundred yards away from everyone just to be safe.

"Again, I can't promise anything, but this should be harmless."

The two of them carefully sat down on their knees across from each other. Zenith placed the book down to his right and started to rifle through the pages to find the right page. As he did this Esmeralda reached over and placed her hand on top of his free hand. Zenith blinked but then kept going through the pages. "Okay... I think I found it." Zenith took his free hand back pretty quickly and went to look over the page. There were a few seconds of silence between the two of them before Zenith placed the book back down.

"Doesn't this magic effect you as well?" Esmeralda curiously piped up. "I mean if you come across the same page I did wouldn't you become clairvoyant?"

"Uh... It's hard to explain, but I was trained in magic, and let's leave it at that." Zenith breathed in through his nose, set the book down, and then proceeded to crack his neck to loosen himself up.

"Was she evil?"

Zenith didn't answer.

"... was she cruel?"

"For someone who is clairvoyant, you seem to ask a lot of questions."

"As well as _minorly_ clairvoyant I am also very curious."

Zenith gave another chuckle and then gestured her forward with his hands. She got the hint and moved her head forwards. Zenith then gently placed his hands against her cheeks. "So, 'very curious', tell me what made you realize you were a woman?" Zenith suddenly questioned. Whether to lighten the mood or to just make small talk neither of them truly knew, still Esmeralda answered.

"I've always been a woman."

"Right, of course... okay, now hang tight alright? I gotta speak some words." Zenith cleared his throat and spoke. These words were not spoken in English, or in any language that Esmeralda had ever heard. She might have seen these words in the book, but it wasn't the same as listening to them. She couldn't even replicate the words he was saying. The words actually started to weirdly twist in her mind. They were getting louder and softer out of random. She couldn't keep the focus on Zenith's face for more than a few seconds. It was starting to feel like something was being split away from her. Esmeralda felt Zenith's grip grow tighter on her face and it made her realize that she had been struggling against him. Zenith never broke eye contact or even flinched. Esmeralda was starting to feel lightheaded as darkness started to creep at the edge of her vision.

Then... Esmeralda fainted falling face first against Zenith's chest. Zenith only let go of her and looked at the book by his side. He said nothing before gently placing Esmeralda on the ground. "Rest up."

* * *

After a nice spot of tea, and Oliver put on some proper clothes, Oliver finally agreed to lend them a ride back to the dragons. "It's gonna be sad to see you go..." Oliver spoke to Ben and Ivan. Ivan was in the front seat while Ben sat in the back. Ben didn't mind it as he was able to lay in the backseat. Once he kicked the fast food bags out of the way that is. God, Oliver, and Ivan have a lot in common.

"Yeah, I know, don't worry. We'll stay in contact, but we need to see the Greenblooms." Ivan answered. He then proceeded to change the subject almost immediately. "So! Cut open anyone interesting?"

"Ivan..." Ben promptly tried to warn Ivan that he was overstepping.

"What? I want to know!" Ivan argued.

"Uh... well... Nobody as interesting as Atticus, but I did cut open a skinhead."

"Nice!" Ivan put his hand up for a high-five. Oliver hesitated at first but then awkwardly high-fived Ivan back with a very weak high-five. Ben let out a snort but didn't respond verbally. A loud yawn left Ben's mouth and he instinctively stretched out. Oliver and Ivan started to talk more to each other and as they were doing that Ben was starting to doze off. He was honestly ready to just flat out fall sleep in the backseat. That was until suddenly Oliver hit the brakes harshly causing Ben to almost slam his head into the seat in front of him.

"Bloody-!" Ben gasped out.

"What did you just say!?" Oliver demanded harshly. At first, Ben wondered if Oliver was yelling at him, but no, Oliver was yelling at Ivan who now had his hands up in defense.

Ben then cried to Oliver in a mild panic "What did he say?!"

"Are you two really a couple now?!" Oliver sounded completely shocked and almost a little hurt.

"Oh? Yeah..." Ben rubbed the back of his head. "It just happened not that long ago."

"I'm not sure how I feel about this..."

Ben's eyes narrowed a little at what Oliver had just said. "Well... okay then. But I'm still going to be dating him." Ben put it plainly as day. Oliver tensed for a few seconds and this caused both Ben and Ivan to tense as well. Then... he just continued to drive.

"Right. Sorry." Oliver eased just as quickly. Ben rested his head on the window again but couldn't bring himself to rest now. Ivan let out a huff of his own and shifted in his seat. Now there was only silence between all three of them.

"You know-" Oliver started after a pregnant pause.

 _'Here we go.'_ Ben braced himself for the worst.

"... I'm proud of you. If it were me... I don't think I could come out publicly."

Ivan muttered something quietly before suddenly speaking out. "Thanks... I'm bi, by the way. Not gay."

"Well, I mean... you're dating Ben. So, you're gay- now _!"_ Oliver whined loudly when Ivan quickly threw a punch to Oliver's shoulder.

"Bi. Doesn't matter who I date."

"Right... Bi."

It's no surprise that the rest of the ride was in complete silence. When they got to where the group was Ben was quick to see a couple of things. One: The sun was setting now. And two: Oliver seemed so alarmed by everyone that it was almost funny.

"That's... a colorful group of... I don't even know."

Ben just couldn't stop his laugh from leaving before he shook his head at Oliver. "C'mon, Oliver. Come and meet them?"

Ben could see Oliver's nose give a little scrunch, not in disgust, but in thinking. "Uh, Okay..."

Atticus and Zenith were the first ones to notice them pulling up. It seemed to be Atticus's turn with the feral Sofi. "Uh, don't get too close to Sofi, just a warning."

"Okay..." Oliver sounded very wary. Which he should be and then he got out. Ben and Ivan got out of the car quickly after.

"Hey, mate! Been a while!" Atticus greeted Oliver quickly. This caught the attention of the others.

"Oh wow!" Winston was the first to run straight up to Oliver. "You must be Barnabas! I had no clue that you and Ben would look so much alike!" Winston brought his hand out for a handshake. Ivan and Atticus immediately started to laugh. Once Ben shot them a warning look they tried to stifle their laughing but it did no good.

"Oh, no, Winston. He isn't Barnabas. This is Oliver. My biological dad. Barnabas is my adopted dad."

"Oh, I apologize. Still, you two look a lot alike."

Ben and Oliver shoot one another a look before just shaking their heads. "No, we don't." They spoke in unison before giving each other a more confused look.

While Oliver started to talk to Winston and the others Ben made his way over to Firedrake. Who was already awake with Sorrel as well. "No Barnabas?" Sorrel questioned.

"Yeah about that..." Ben shoved his hand into his pocket and showed the note to Firedrake and Sorrel. "They... moved!" Ben still felt surprised by this. Really, out of everything to happen he didn't expect the Greenblooms to just uproot and leave like this. Obviously, the intended for him to come back, but out of the times he talked to Guinevere why didn't she say anything to him about it?

"Moved? To where?"

"Norway. It's not far, in fact, if we leave soon we should make it before the night is over...but we still have to drop Atticus and his family off in Ireland-"

"Norway?" Atticus suddenly came from behind Ben and yanked the paper out of Ben's hand. This caught Ben off guard a bit. "Well, that would explain why you came with Oliver and not Barnabas."

"It's a little more than just that. Oliver was already at the house when Ivan and I got there. Turns out he lives there now. Barnabas gave the house to him." Atticus blinked at that but in the end, just nodded.

"Alright then... I would honestly love to see their new place, but..." Atticus looked at Sofi, who was growling crouched down in the grass munching on a bug.

"Yeah... I know, we're going to drop you off at your home-"

Atticus's face suddenly became a little pained and he rubbed the back of his head. "About that... Well..."

Ben felt his eyes narrow as he looked at Atticus. "Yeah?"

"We're going to be moving soon as well."

"You are?" Ben just couldn't hide the hurt in his voice as he spoke.

Atticus nodded. "Afraid so. We don't have a choice, the hunters found us-"

"But-"

"-Ben. Yes, I got rid of _those_ hunters, but you know that there's now a high risk of us getting found again. The last time something like this happened I lost my daughter and wife. I don't have a choice. I have to leave Ireland... I was thinking of Germany; Zenith liked the idea..."

"Oh... well... then when we drop you off-"

"It'll most likely be the last time we will see each other for a while. I mean I'll call... obviously."

"It's going to be sad seeing you go." Ben reached over and touched Atticus's hand absent-mindedly.

"I know. It's going to be sad to go. But, I do want to say this. Thank you. You've been my best mate and even though it might have gotten rocky a few times between us you stuck by me. I wanted to tell you that you look and act more like Zenith every day. The real Zenith. He would have been proud of you."

Before Ben knew it he was borderline crying. He tried to not let it show, but Ben suddenly wiping his tears away before they could fall was a pretty big give away. "C'mere." Atticus pulled Ben into a hug. Ben quickly hugged him back.

"I know I shouldn't cry-!" Ben sobbed a little. The dam broke and now it was basically a river of tears that he just couldn't stop.

"It's been a stressful week. It's alright." Atticus reassured him before patting his back.

Ben felt two hands on his back and came to a sudden realization. "Did... you let go of Sofi?"

"Oh shit!" Atticus let go of Ben pretty quickly and yeah... it was pretty funny watching Atticus chase down Sofi as the little vampire was now making a run for the nearest thing with a heartbeat. Which so happened to be Ivan.

"Ay! Beat it!" Ivan suddenly screamed and tried to keep Sofi at bay with his foot. This ultimately got a little laugh out of Ben as Sofi was honestly trying her hardest to bite him. Thankfully Atticus managed to snatch her up before she could find her way to Ivan's ankle.

"Hey, don't be sad, okay?" Ben suddenly felt Firedrake press against his back. This made Ben remember that Firedrake and Sorrel were there for the whole conversation.

"I just... I didn't mean to break down like that. Like Atticus said: It's been a stressful week and I'll be glad to be home."

* * *

It was finally time to go home. After dropping Atticus and his family off in Ireland. (he and Ben had another, longer, hug. And Ben hugged every single one of them. Even Zenith. Though he was a little hesitant.) It was just a straight shot to Norway with the whole group. Ben was a little uneasy with having three giant dragons in the sky, especially with what happened in America, but... nothing happened. It was just a smooth ride to Norway.

Ben just almost couldn't believe it. Once they found just where this address was. He really didn't expect it. A giant wooden home (that looked like part of it was still under construction) and honestly Ben wondered if they had the wrong address. But as the moon was vanishing and the sun starting to rise off in the distance Ben could make out a figure below. It took him a few moments to realize that it was Guinevere!

"It's Guinevere! We found them!" Ben yelled out almost ecstatically. This caused Firedrake to lower himself towards the ground. Ben almost didn't even wait for Firedrake to land before he jumped and ran straight to Guinevere. She didn't hit him, no, the two of them hugged.

"We were so worried! What happened- whoa..." Guinevere took a sudden step back at all the whole group. That now only consisted of Winston, Rosaline, and Esmeralda (who seemed to be doing a lot better and didn't look as pale as before.) and of course little Rosa. "Oh... wow, wow, wow." Guinevere hummed softly and then rubbed the back of her head. "You two must have had one hell of an adventure." She muttered as Ivan came up to Ben. They then let go of each other.

"We did- but it seemed like you guys had an interesting time as well! Just tell me, what the hell is this?" Ben gestured towards the giant wooden building.

"Uh, well, good point. I can't say much. I'll leave most of it towards dad and Hothbrodd explain the whole story, but-"

"Hothbrodd?..." Ben had to pause and rack his brain. He knew that name. He just couldn't figure out from where until Guinevere filled him in.

"The troll! From when we were, like, twelve? The one dad rescued?"

"Oh!" It struck him like lightning. "Right! Him!"

"That was a very odd sentence..." Esmeralda spoke from behind Ben. He honestly opted to ignore her for now.

"Okay... So give us the footnotes?" Ben asked her politely.

"When you were gone we got... gold and jewels as a gift from Gravelbeard." She stated plainly. "This... I don't know gave dad a spark! He always wanted to make a sanctuary! And once he got the money that's exactly what he did! Ben, Ivan... others... you're all looking at the very first sanctuary for fabulous creatures!" Guinevere jumped up and just seemed all out ecstatic at this.

"That's amazing!" Winston blurted out.

"That is pretty impressive!" Issiah joined in suddenly. Hey, it was a compliment. Ben couldn't agree more. This was more than impressive, this was a pipe dream that became true!

"We wanted nothing more than to wait for you two, but then it became clear that something had happened. Then your phones died... Then Issiah got taken and broadcasted worldwide and we realized we needed to get this place up and running ASAP." Guinevere explained softly. "We really didn't want you to come back to an empty home. That was the very last thing dad wanted..."

"I know." Ben smiled at her softly. "We're here now and that's all that matters."

"So!" Guinevere clapped her hands and then looked at the trio behind Ivan and Ben. "I see we've gained three more friends!"

"Oh!" Ivan jumped a little. "Guinevere! Meet Rosaline and Esmeralda my... half... sisters." Ben could see the struggle in Ivan actually having to say that. "And this is Winston!... Ben suggested saving him!"

"How kind." Winston chuckled a little and placed his hand on his hip.

Rosaline and Esmeralda both shook hands with Guinevere. Guinevere suddenly let out a gasp. "Is that a-"

"Oh! Meet Rosa! My friend!" Esmeralda introduced Rosa.

"Hello!" Rosa signed and spoke to Guinevere.

"She's adorable! But are those Barbie clothes?" Guinevere actually sounded a little horrified at the fact. "Oh, those can't be comfortable!"

"They aren't," Twigleg spoke from Ben's shoulder.

"Don't worry, my mother and I could make you better clothes," Guinevere told Rosa, Twigleg quickly signed it to Rosa. Rosa just smiled and signed a quick 'Thank you' to Guinevere.

"Benny!" With no warning, Ben had to brace himself as a tiny child launched himself at Ben's legs.

"Oof! Jackson!" a laugh left Ben's mouth as Jack clung to Ben's knees for dear life.

"You're back!"

Ben leaned down and carefully picked Jackson. The three-year-old happily burrowed his head into the crook of Ben's neck. "Issiah! My boy, you're alright!" Came Barnabas's voice as he came rushing outside with Vita right beside him.

Issiah's ear twitched a little. "Yes, I'm fine."

Barnabas and Vita both paused suddenly once they saw Winston, Rosaline, and Esmeralda. "Who are these three?" Barnabas asked almost completely shocked by this. Winston smiled and brought his hand out for a handshake. Barnabas took it and the Vita. Then the introductions started back up again. Once everyone was done introducing themselves Barnabas turned towards Ben. Firedrake leaned down and sniffed Jackson's hair as the silence filled the air. Jackson giggled and reached out to pet Firedrake's snout. Which the dragon allowed.

"So... I feel like I'm going to have to tell Hothbrodd to make a few more rooms?" Barnabas asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That might be ideal..." Ben awkwardly answered.

"Well, I might not need a room!" Winston butted in. "As kind as it is for you to offer me one. I honestly just want to go back home for now. I mean I know it's been _years_ since my mother and sisters last saw of me but... I feel like I should put her mind at ease and let her know I'm alive."

"I could take you home if you'd like?" Tattoo offered.

"Oh, thank you, I would much appreciate that."

"At least have some tea before you leave! All of you look starved and tired!" Vita urged them all towards the home. Nobody declined. The whole family started off towards the home. Ben was just beside Barnabas when he looked at Ivan. For a moment it seemed like they were reading each other's mind. Ivan just nodded and Ben looked at Barnabas.

"Hey... Dad?"

"Hm?" Barnabas looked at Ben. Ben placed Jackson down and the toddler took his free hand.

"Uh... Ivan and I are a couple now."

"Oh, my," Barnabas uttered suddenly. This caused Ben's heart to drop almost instantly. _'He doesn't want a gay son-'_ "I owe Vita money!"

"Excuse me?" Ivan almost barked.

"We knew it'd only be a matter of time. I think everyone did except for you two."

"You don't mind?" Ben wanted to be sure that it didn't bother her adoptive father.

"Why on earth would I mind? I love you Ben, who you love is none of my business. Unless that person was nasty of course, but that's beside the point." Barnabas then brought his arm around Ben's shoulder and gave him a half-hug. "You're my son"

"Thanks, dad..."

Ivan let out a whistle once they were close enough to the big building. "This is impressive... I won't lie. Hey, does this sanctuary have a name?"

"Oh, I figured Guinevere told you guys! Welcome to MÍMAMEIĐR!"


	26. Epilogue

The world literally spun into existence for Sabrina. For a few seconds, she stared dumbly at the ceiling above her head before looking forward in front of her where Madison sat on a desk. Madison only smiled and waved with her fingers. "You failed." Madison grinned at Sabrina.

"How long have I been dead for?" Sabrina borderline growled at Madison. As Sabrina started to sit up and rest on her arm on her leg.

"About... two days." Sabrina noticed the fresh white gauze on Madison's wrist and narrowed her eyes.

"Why bring me back then?"

Madison leaned back on her arms and then crossed her legs. She had a smirk on her face. "Because. I need you."

Sabrina narrowed her eyes before giving out a soft 'hmph.' "Fine. What do you want?"

"Revenge. Which I'm sure you do as well." Madison practically cooed at the thought.

"You know Celeste would know when to let something go." Sabrina started to brush her hands against her pants to get some dirt off.

Madison let out a disgusted groan. "Celeste, Celeste, Celeste! God if Zenith hadn't of killed her I would have myself! Sister dearest could do no wrong after all." Madison threw her hands up in the air before slapping them to her sides almost childish like.

Sabrina let out a sigh. "Celeste was a good friend of mine. I've known her for longer than you've been alive. So believe me when I repeat this. Let it go. I think between James being killed, and them getting the dragons free... I'd say we're messing with the wrong group." Sabrina then walked over to Madison and she had to admit seeing the look of anger that Madison was now sporting made her chuckle. "Besides. You saw Sherri. Do you think she'll let you near her son again? Now, if you don't mind me, I'll be... doing something. I don't know what yet." Sabrina wrapped her arms around her chest and just straight up walking away.

"You comin' back? I mean I did just resurrect you. The least you could do is come back."

"I probably will."

"Sabrina?"

Sabrina turned around and looked at Madison with a raised eyebrow. "What now?"

"... We go on living."

* * *

And living they did. It wasn't that _nothing_ ever happened to Ben and Ivan ever again they still went on adventures (once the rumors of the dragons actually calmed down that is) they still got in spots of trouble here and there but nothing as major as before.

Years went on and MÍMAMEIĐR thrived. There was never a short supply of magical creatures that needed saving. Nymphs, imps, Pegasi, you name it. If it was a magical creature they helped and healed it. Over time everyone had a part of the sanctuary that they really specialized in. Winston became the first ever 'dragon mail' carrier. Letters between their friends and others. Often Rosaline or Esmeralda might accompany him if they were to ever get a little stir-crazy.

Esmeralda didn't have her book anymore. Ben was pretty sure Zenith took it to bury it away or burn it. One of the two. Still, Esmeralda was pretty smart without the book. She went on to be Prof. Spotiswode apprentice. Spotiwode and her worked together to make Rosa a tiny little hearing aid so now it's easier for her to talk and communicate. Still, Twigleg eventually taught everyone sign language just in case the hearing aid gets damaged or needed to be replaced. True to her word Guinevere and Vita both made newer clothes for Rosa so she wasn't stuck in the itchy cheap Barbie dresses.

Rosa and Twigleg never became a couple, then again there was no reason for them to be. They were just good friends, the last two of their kind. They didn't feel the need to be anything more.

Rosaline had away with the fabulous creatures, nobody really knew how but she had a way with the creatures. It was actually pretty amazing how she manages to befriend and calm the newcomers down. Though, after she came out of her shell she and Ivan had a bit more in common than what was thought. Rosaline turns out, can, in fact, have a bit of a sharp tongue when it comes to things. Maybe now that she's no longer under his mother's thumb she was able to finally express herself more freely without the fear of getting hit.

Guinevere made friends with Rosaline pretty quickly. Guinevere had been the one to tell Rosaline to express herself. Hell, at one point Guinevere helped Rosaline dye her hair green and because Rosaline was a little afraid of being alone, Guinevere went and dyed and her own hair green. That was an interesting time. Guinevere was almost the glue that held everyone together. At one point her and Winston. Yes, Winston, got together, but it didn't last. She did, however, find a nice Norwegian man named Albin.

Jackson was growing big. Now almost six years old he was doing his best to help around the sanctuary with everyone. Ben would after take his baby brother with him when feeding or talking to the fabulous creatures. Jackson was growing big and strong. Though... Ben felt a little worried about his younger brother. With no other children his age, Jackson was kind of lonely, Ben was also starting to notice some clear social anxiety in his younger brother. So, when going out to the local village Ben tried to his best to almost always include Jackson so he wouldn't turn out too bad. Still, that didn't change the fact that Jackson had no actual friends...

Atticus and Zenith did move to Germany. They were welcomed to the sanctuary with their kids, but they denied the request. Of course, they came by from time to time but they refused to stay for too long. Ben had asked Atticus why, and Atticus responded with: "You protect these fabulous animals. We drink blood. Ben, I think it'd be for the best that we stay away from these rare creatures, don't you?" Atticus had laughed a little. Ben had his doubts on this and it made him wonder if Atticus was purposely keeping away from Ben- or if now that he had Zenith back in his life he... didn't need Ben anymore... but Ben was sure that wasn't the case.

Ivan and Ben... oh, boy. The got together at first (obviously) then they broke up. Then they got back together again only a month after the first break up, then broke up. There wasn't even a fight between them, Ivan had just said it one day. "I think we should have a break." And Ben just allowed it. He didn't fight, yell, or scream about it. If a break is what Ivan wanted then Ben was going to allow it. And break they did for almost a year. Ivan and Issiah went on that adventure shortly after that. Ben didn't even know why said that. Their adventure lasted a year and during that year Ben was starting to realize just how much he truly missed Ivan now that they were truly apart. Then When Ivan came back he, almost amusingly, proposed to Ben. And, maybe it's surprising or not but Ben said yes. Turns out Ivan had felt the same during his time apart as well. For those curious, they decided to just merge their last names, as Benjamin Greenbloom-Newlands, might have been a bit more than a mouthful. No. Greenlands worked just fine for the two of them.

Then came Firedrake. Firedrake and Issiah visiting became much, _much easier_ now. No more sneaking about. And Ben loved it. For a short while Firedrake couldn't visit for almost a whole year, and it did make Ben miss him a whole bunch that year he was away. Yet, upon seeing the reason why Firedrake had left, that tiny dragon (as small as baby silver dragons go that is) that stood shyly next to Firedrake made Ben smile widely. Firedrake's own little son. Ben had slowly crouched down to meet the baby dragon. "What's your name?" was the first thing Ben had asked the small baby. The baby looked at Firedrake, who just nodded.

"Sunslash."

"Sunslash, huh? I like that name."

"... You don't have an arm."

"No. I don't. Wanna hear how I lost it?"

Sunslash excitedly looked at Firedrake, who was in the middle of rolling his eyes at his son's little comment. Firedrake then just gave him a little nod. Ben gave the little dragon a smile before reaching up and patting Sunslash between the ears. Yeah, Ben was glad to have finally met Sunslash. Once sat down next to each other Ben paused for a moment and looked at Firedrake and then back at little Sunslash. "It's a long story. A _long_ story... but it started when little Twigleg suddenly became big!"

Yes, times were changing and so were the people. Eventually, Barnabas and Vita could no longer run MÍMAMEIĐR due to their age and it became up to the children to run the sanctuary. Which Barnabas and Vita had no qualms about. They knew that even with the changing times and people that MÍMAMEIĐR was in great hands and forever will be.


End file.
